Joy to be Claimed
by Wild Force Ranger
Summary: A death in the Stargate family leads Mohinder to new discoveries...and a group of teens in Ocean's Bluff. All of their destinies will collide in the city on the water...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is AU to my Atlantis series, but the personalities and characterisations there apply here as well. If you don't read my Atlantis, all you really need to know is that Alice is an AI program in the city that only John can see; she's gene-linked. Lorne can hear her, Teyla and Zelenka know about her.

This was my NaNo novel 2008 and is loooong...56000 words.

Joy to be Claimed

The Ancients were a lot of things. Ask any ten inhabitants of the Pegasus galaxy, or any of the ten people in the Milky Way who knew anything about them, and you'd likely get ten different descriptions.

The Ancients were intelligent. The Ancients were compassionate. They were hung up on their rules, they were unforgiving, they were almost gods, they were people, they were helpful or useless or brilliant or dumb.

Almost everyone, though…certainly those in the Milky Way…would agree on one thing; the Ancients were not good at obeying their own rules. And the rule they seemed to break more often than any other was their most important; no post-Ascension Ancient was permitted to interfere with those still on the mortal plane.

Chaya, in the Pegasus galaxy, and Oma Desala in the Milky Way both broke this law for love of the people who had once been theirs. Mryddin and the woman known as Morgana broke it for revenge, and she was punished; he escaped only through death. And Daniel Jackson, the only person known to Ascend twice and chose to fall both times, broke it because he could not obey it and still be Daniel Jackson.

Too many others to count, of course, broke that law. In ways big and small, for reasons noble or personal, out of boredom or a sincere desire to help they broke it. Sometimes they were found by the other Ancients, sometimes they went unnoticed. Sometimes their efforts helped, sometimes they hindered.

There was an Ancient, young to his people during the last days of the War. When they left Atlantis, shining city of the Pegasus galaxy, to return to Earth he came with them. Earth, though beautiful in its' own way, seemed small and pale after the wonders of the city he'd grown up in.

They lived on Earth for many years, some choosing to ascend, some choosing to live out their lives with the humans. When the time came for his choice he ascended, but the planet of his birth had faded in his memory and he decided to remain near the planet he'd grown old on.

He watched as the people who were almost his children grew and learned, as they suffered under the Goa'uld and as they rejoiced in their freedom. He saw, as he never really had when mortal, the joys that could be found in the smallest moment; in a lover's touch, in a child's smile, in a single flower or a perfect sunrise.

And he saw evils, too, some from within men and some from without. When the dregs of the universe came seeking conquest he arranged their defeat, careful to use only a fraction of his power. The others of his kind had long since left that planet behind, but he knew better than to think himself unobserved.

Five thousand years after their return from Atlantis (and he'd almost forgotten, now, how the sun reflected off the towers to dazzle the eye) Oma Desala came to him, walking by his side through a city like many others on the planet. The world still bore the scars of their recent fight for freedom, but they were recovering.

"Are you ready yet?" she asked.

"No. Not yet."

Oma nodded, and left him there.

For the next five thousand years he watched as the people of his world grew, progressing faster and faster. Barely two hundred years after discovering steam power, men were walking on the moon, and for the first time he felt a thrill of fear. Men were wondrous, able to think faster than any other race, able to twist their minds through thoughts no other race could follow, and thoughts of what they could accomplish in peace made him weep for joy.

But he'd watched them grow, he knew what they were, and he feared what they could do in war.

When Oma came to him ten thousand years after their exile (and the sound of the waves on Atlantis' piers was long gone from his mind, now) he was not walking among them.

"Come home," she urged him.

"This is my home, Oma. These are my children."

Oma studied the planet. "They will be their own downfall."

"They will be the fifth great race."

"Without interference?" she said sharply.

He didn't answer, watching the planet turn, and she sighed. "The others will punish you."

He smiled, then, eyes dancing as he looked up at her. "They'll have to catch me first."

* * *

Before Ascension he had thought of children, thought that one day he would like to raise others to believe as he did, to follow in his footsteps. Now he knew the people of Earth were the only children he would ever have. And, oddly, it didn't seem to matter as much as he'd thought it would. Certainly not when some of the humans carried Ancient blood, coded in a gene that would later be called the ATA.

Some of those with the ATA also carried another genetic anomaly, one called the Meta mutation. The Meta mutation granted unpredictable powers to the humans who carried it, but those with the ATA as well never manifested; it seemed to suppress the Meta abilities so thoroughly they were never detected.

Some few hundred years after Oma's last visit, and somewhat less since the first known manifestation of the Meta mutation, the galaxy began to take note of the Earth again. She had now been free of the Goa'uld for so long that her centuries under their yoke had been forgotten; no one remembered that, armed only with stones and sticks and determination, Earth had fought her way to freedom. They thought of Earth, if they thought of it at all, as a weak planet ready for conquest.

He knew the show of force he'd used previously would not work again, and that if the Ancients caught him interfering they would remove him. So he would not be able to fight.

Taking inspiration from various movies his intended audience would be familiar with, he created a fortress, hidden in the hills outside a city called Angel Grove. Anywhere would have done, but this city had a higher than average population with the ATA, which would aid him greatly—the ATA was essential for his plans. He added a sidekick and carefully made himself look alien.

When everything was ready—and just in time, too, as the first of many would-be conquerors appeared—he transported the five humans he'd chosen to the fortress. They were understandably surprised and confused at first, and he waited patiently for them to notice him.

"Greetings, humans. I am Zordon, an interdimensional being caught in a time warp."

He was rather proud of that almost-fiction; it neatly explained both his powers and his inability to fight himself.

Though dubious, the children accepted the responsibility, using the Ancient tech he offered to protect the planet. The tech granted them strength and protection, great weapons and battle machines, and he taught them to use these powers wisely.

If all of humanity were Zordon's children, then his Rangers were more like pieces of himself; stubborn Jason, graceful Trini, determined Rocky and all the others. The roster changed over the years, growing and shrinking, but always the Rangers were chosen in part for their ATA gene. As time passed and the Meta mutation became more common, Zordon added controls to the morphers that would allow the Meta abilities to manifest despite the suppression of the ATA. As the number and strength of Earth's would-be conquerors grew, so did the need for more power on the Rangers' side.

Five years after his first Ranger picked up a morpher, Zordon was forced into action. His enemies, correctly assuming that his Rangers could not protect several worlds at once, launched simultaneous attacks on many worlds. Knowing the Ancients would remove him for this, he prompted one of his Rangers to destroy the tube they believed anchored him to this realm, and in that moment, before his people saw him, he revealed himself to his enemies and destroyed their armies with a thought.

His people took him, as he'd expected, accusing him of breaking their first law. Zordon didn't deny it, only waited for their judgement.

In the end he was striped of all but his most basic powers and exiled back to Earth. The Ancients expected the planet to fall without his help, believing that watching them die would be punishment enough, but they hadn't counted on the humans' tenacity.

True, without his guidance, the teams drifted. Their bases moved, first over the state, then over the country. Each team rose to meet a specific threat and disbanded when it was dealt with.

But they continued to use Zordon's morphers and to follow the rules as he'd laid them out, and they were still chosen in part for the ATA. For ten years that was enough.

And then Melia came to tell him the Wraith had awakened, and sought a way to Earth.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

The knock on his door woke Joe; he waited drowsily for someone to answer it before remembering he was alone. Charlene and Andy had gone to visit her sister.

Sighing, he pulled on a shirt and padded across to the door. The peephole showed him a dark-haired man in a delivery man's uniform, holding a clipboard. "Who's there?" he called.

The man jumped, looking up from his clipboard. "Mr Spencer?"

"Yes?" John slid the chain on, opening the door six inches.

"My name is Gabriel Grey. I'm here about your clock?"

"My clock?" Joe repeated.

"Um…" Gabriel studied his paperwork. "Grandfather? Been stopped for a while?"

"Oh! Yeah, that thing." Joe closed the door, sliding the chain off to let him in. "Sorry, it's been stopped so long I don't think about it much. Come in."

"Thank you."

"It's in…" He gestured. "Hey, I'm gonna get dressed, get some breakfast. You eaten?"

"Thanks." Gabriel smiled. "I am a little peckish."

* * *

"Peter. _Peter!_ Wake up."

Peter sat bolt upright, almost colliding with Nathan. "I was…the sun…"

He focused on Nathan, reaching to brush his fingers over the bruise on his jaw. "What hit you?"

"You did." He rose to his feet, holding out a hand to pull Peter up after him.

"I hit you? Why?"

"You really wanted to finish what you were doing," Nathan said dryly.

Peter frowned, looking at his hands. "I was…"

"Painting."

He looked up in surprise, only then registering the canvases scattered around him. They must have been Isaac's; Peter never used anything but paper and pencils, but these were painted.

"I don't even remember coming down here," he admitted, glancing around the studio. "Sorry, Mohinder," he added as the geneticist stepped around a canvas.

"You were quite intent. I thought it best not to disturb you, so I called Nathan."

Peter was barely listening, studying the pictures and frowning. "Recognise anything?" Nathan asked.

"No. This…" Peter reached for one, fingers curling into a fist just before he would have touched it. "I've never even…"

A city that seemed to be mostly composed of glass rested on a huge sea. Towers and spires soared into the sky and the whole thing gleamed in the sun.

"How far into the future can you see?" Mohinder asked, joining them.

"Not that far. Besides…" he glanced at the next one. "You're not older."

Mohinder stood in some kind of lab, one hand held out as though pacifying someone just out of frame.

"You sure that's the same place?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah." Peter moved on; in the next one he was standing on a balcony overlooking the city, facing off against…

"Sylar," Mohinder muttered.

Sylar, in Air Force uniform, was facing Peter. Peter's hands sparked with electricity; Sylar's were covered in ice.

"In uniform?" Nathan protested. "He's never served."

"How do you know?" Peter asked, smiling crookedly.

"Trust me. He's never worn a uniform. Certainly not Air Force."

Peter nodded, taking it on faith. "Is that it?"

"No." Mohinder turned, picking up one more. "This was the first one. You knocked it over while moving past."

He placed it on an easel and Peter frowned, taking a step back. "That's…"

"Sylar," Mohinder agreed. "And a victim."

The figure in front of Sylar was frozen solid and scalped. The picture was in extreme close up and nothing beyond the two figures could be seen, except for an odd symbol in the top right corner.

"That could be anywhere," Peter complained. "There's no…"

"Pete," Nathan said quietly. "That one's already happened."

"What?"

"Joe Spencer, Indiana. Found early this morning by a neighbour who hadn't seen him around."

"Joe Spencer," Peter repeated softly.

"The problem," Mohinder told them from the computer, "is that Joe Spencer is not on the List."

"He's not in the database?" Peter asked, following him.

"No, he's in the database. I have his genetic make up here. But he does not have the Meta mutation."

"Sylar doesn't kill like this, not for regular humans," Peter protested. "He only kills Meta that way."

Mohinder shook his head. "Joe Spencer is not Meta."

Peter studied the screen: Mohinder obligingly scrolled down through the information.

"Can you even read that?" Nathan asked. Peter looked up long enough to glare at him, and he added, "You're not a geneticist, Peter, and I doubt your nurse training covers this."

"I can read enough. Mohinder, what's this sequence here?"

Mohinder glanced at the screen. "It's junk DNA. Many people have it."

Peter touched the screen lightly, gaze far away. "Are you sure?"

Mohinder glanced at Nathan for help; Nathan only raised an eyebrow, broadcasting as clearly as though he'd said it 'What do you want i_me_/i to say?' Sighing, he looked back at Peter. "I'll look into it."

"Why don't you go clean up, Pete?" Nathan suggested, offering him a bag. "Brought you some clean clothes."

"Yeah." Peter looked down at his paint-smeared jumper. "Probably a good idea."

* * *

"Cancelling our leave?" Rodney protested.

Elizabeth steepled her fingers, taking a deep breath. "Joe Spencer was the only person outside the SGC who we know had the ATA gene. They have suggested that anyone with the gene stay here until they're sure there's no connection. You can go back to Earth, if you really want to, but they'll ask you to stay on base or give you an escort."

"People die on Earth every day," he pointed out. "It's probably a coincidence."

"People don't die like that," Elizabeth said firmly.

John stirred, sitting up straighter. "How…" He shook his head. "Actually, never mind."

"Good idea," she murmured. "It may be unconnected; they've tentatively linked it to some other deaths over the last sixth months. This is just a precaution."

Rodney sighed pointedly. "Well, I wanted to upgrade the sensors anyway."

"How long will that take?"

"Two days. It's internal only, won't affect the long range."

"Very well," Elizabeth agreed. Rodney picked up his computer, already working on the idea as he left.

John sat forward, watching her. "SGC's really worried?"

"They've locked down anyone with the gene."

"General O'Neill must love that."

Elizabeth smiled. "Let's just say I'm glad I'm here and not there."

John grinned, rising to leave.

Alice was standing outside. "Do you want to know how he died?"

"No. Thanks."

"Are you sure? It's interesting."

"No, Alice, I don't want to know how he died. What's Rodney working on?"

"Integrating the life signs detector with the internal sensors."

"Can he do it?"

"He can. If you don't mind, though, I'm going to take myself off line until he's done. Motion sickness, not fun. You're on stand down, yes?"

John laughed softly. "Yeah, go ahead. Have a good sleep."

Alice smiled, fading out of sight.

* * *

Chylea3784: Thanks! I hope it's living up to your expectations...

rellenh: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two

In which nothing really happens, and everyone gets closer to meeting up.

"Do you recognize this symbol?"

Mohinder glanced up, standing to join Nathan at the easel. "I'm sorry?"

"This symbol." Nathan touched it lightly. "I'm sure I've seen it before."

"No." Mohinder studied it; a stylised pyramid in a circle, it didn't resemble anything he knew. "No, I don't believe so."

Nathan nodded slowly, still studying it.

"What is it?" Peter asked, still pulling his jumper into place as he joined them.

"Not sure. I know I've seen it, though."

"And that?" Peter jerked his chin towards the floating city.

"If I'd seen that I'd remember. It's not the kind of thing you forget."

"No, I suppose not." He frowned, tracing the edge of a tower.

"Pete?" Nathan said warily.

"No. Nothing." He shook off whatever it was, looking at Mohinder. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes, maybe." He went back to the computer, pulling up a screen. "The sequence of junk DNA shows up in a tiny proportion of the population, but not in anyone who has manifested the Meta mutation. Joe Spencer is one of an even smaller proportion who have both, but this sequence seems to override the Meta. It's almost impossible to detect."

"This sequence blocks out the Meta mutation?" Peter repeated. "This is a cure?"

"Not a cure. I don't believe it could be stimulated artificially. But anyone with this sequence will not manifest."

"What does it do?" Nathan asked.

"Nothing. It has no effect whatsoever on those without Meta. It is only junk."

"It's not junk," Peter said quietly. "It's important."

"Important to what?" Nathan asked, watching him.

Peter traced the pyramid shape on the edge of the desk. "Not sure yet. Can you track other people who have this sequence?"

"Yes," Mohinder agreed slowly.

"What are you expecting to find?" Nathan asked.

"I told you, I don't know yet. What about this?" He traced the pyramid again.

Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know, Pete."

"Find out."

"We can't…"

"Nathan."

That was it, just his name. Nathan grimaced, glancing at Mohinder, who shrugged.

"Alright. I'll see what I can find out. Just…wait for me, alright? Don't go anywhere." Peter frowned, studying him, and he added, "Every time you fight Sylar you die. Don't go rushing into this one."

Peter smiled faintly. "Alright. I'll be careful."

"I won't be long."

Peter waved him off, going back to lean over Mohinder's shoulder and watch him run through the Human Genome Project's database.

* * *

John didn't bother intervening until Rodney had sent his third scientist running for cover. Zelenka was still grimly working away, ignoring Rodney as much as possible, but everyone else had evacuated.

"Having fun?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"They're even more incompetent than usual. How hard is it to reconfigure this database so the signals stop ghosting?"

"Apparently, quite hard." John glanced at Zelenka, who rolled his eyes and muttered something in Czech. "Why is it ghosting?"

"We're combining readings from two sets of sensors, and they don't quite line up. Everyone's showing up twice, sometimes in totally random parts of the city." Rodney scowled at his screen. "It shouldn't be happening."

"You can't track anyone?"

Rodney slammed down his computer. "Did I just say that? I believe I did! Did you want something, or did you just come to annoy me?"

"Just checking in. You've broken your own record for sending scientists running. I think most of 'em volunteered for the next off-world mission, just to get out of here."

"Yes, well, if they weren't completely incompetent, we wouldn't have that problem, would we."

John glanced at Zelenka again; he quietly shook his head, and John nodded. "Alright. Just try not to totally crush them yet. Get the project done first."

Rodney waved him off, more or less totally ignoring him, and he headed back out into the city.

"John!" Teyla called from behind him.

"Hey, Teyla."

Something crashed in the lab, and Rodney and Zelenka's voices rose in unison. Teyla looked back, surprised, but John ignored it and she hurried to keep up.

"Elizabeth says we have been grounded?"

"Yeah. Something's going on back on Earth; SGC wants us to stand down for a little while, any of us with the ATA gene."

"They believe you could be in danger here?"

"They're not really sure. It might not have anything to do with the gene, they're just being careful."

Behind them, something exploded. John winced, walking faster.

"Rodney is…worried?" Teyla suggested.

"Rodney is a little upset," John agreed. "Best to leave him alone, for now."

"Do you know how long we will be grounded?"

"No. Hopefully not long." He considered her. "You want to go home?"

"I would like to see my people, yes."

"Good idea. Why don't you see if Ronon wants to go? He doesn't do so well on stand down."

Teyla smiled. "I will ask him."

* * *

"I believe I've found something," Mohinder called.

Peter turned from the second painting—Mohinder in the strange lab—and came to join him. "What?"

"A partial list of people with this gene sequence. It's odd…" He trailed off, studying the screen.

"What's odd?"

"Hmm? There seems to be a large number of them in California. Statistically improbable."

"Maybe it's just that more people in California signed up to the Genome Project. That's where you're getting your readings, right?"

"Yes, but it's still statistically too high for the number of people in the state. Something seems to pull them to that area."

Peter read through the list. "And they're all young. Young-ish, anyway."

"Some of them are older than you, Peter," Mohinder pointed out mildly. Peter grinned, still scanning the list.

"Several of them are Meta, too, look." He pointed to the names.

"Yes," Mohinder agreed. "The proportions of people with both the Meta mutation and this sequence are very high as well."

"Well, California's weird," he said, shrugging. "Have you talked to the Bennets?"

"Butlers," Mohinder corrected him automatically. "And no. Proportions for Costa Verde are stable, and I'm not eager to bring anyone to the Company's attention if they're managing to stay hidden."

Peter nodded absently, studying the list again. "Angel Grove's the highest," he said after a moment.

"But not the most recent. Birth proportions there peaked thirty years ago and dropped back to normal five years later."

Peter shook his head, still reading. "That's not…it doesn't make sense."

"The newest entry to the database was here." Mohinder touched the screen. "Ocean Bluff."

Peter nodded quietly. "It's pretty far from Indiana." He sighed, pushing away from the desk. "We still don't know how Sylar found Joe in the first place."

Mohinder leaned back. "He painted it."

Peter blinked. "He…"

"The painting showing Sylar and Joe Spencer was in his style, not yours or Isaac's."

Peter got up, moving to study the paintings again. "It doesn't look like mine," he admitted, "but it's so hard to tell."

Mohinder gestured to the canvases stacked against one wall. "Sylar's work. The style is quite unmistakable."

Peter nodded slowly. "Ok. But why? What's so important about Joe Spencer?"

* * *

"I'm not saying he wasn't pleasant enough, in his own way," Jack protested. "Little intense, maybe, but a very direct way of solving his problems. But really, was he important enough for all of us to be locked down?"

"Joe was the only person outside the program who both knew about it and had the ATA," Sam said patiently. "Until we're sure this wasn't an attack on the SGC, we need to know where everyone with the gene is."

"I thought they linked him to some other deaths." Jack picked up a piece of wire from her desk, flicking it idly.

"Yes. Maybe. We're looking into it, sir. We just need to…can I have that?"

He surrendered the wire, sighing. "Maybe I should go see Daniel."

"Daniel's not on base. He went to get your mail and some clothes."

"Oh! That was…thoughtful."

"Yeah. Well, he's been stuck on base a few times. He knows what it's like…sir, please put that down."

Jack glanced down; he'd picked up some kind of Metal something and was spinning it absently. "What is it?"

Sam started to answer, hesitated, and shook her head. "Never mind."

"Ah, you're no fun anymore. I'll go find T."

"Have fun, sir."

* * *

Chylea3784: Glad you're still enjoying! We're starting to get into actual plot, now, and in a couple weeks the Rangers will be showing up...so enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

In which Peter is annoyingly vague, Jack is annoyed, and Rodney is annoying.

* * *

Nathan was already tugging his tie loose when he came in, tossing a folder to Peter. "It's some kind of secret government project. Project Blue Book. I can't find anything else about it."

"Blue Book," Peter repeated, scanning through the couple of sheets of paper.

"It's based under Cheyenne in Colerado, and enough men and supplies go in there to fight three wars. The IOA have a governing interest."

"IOA?" Mohinder repeated.

"International Oversight committee. I know a couple people on it, but I can't get them to tell me anything…not without getting attention, anyway."

"What did Joe have to do with them?" Peter asked, passing the folder to Mohinder.

"Peter, I don't know. I can't find anything out. As far as I can tell, Joe's a barber who wrote some fairly bad sci fi a few years back. He's hardly ever left Indiana."

"He wrote…"

"Very bad sci fi. Something about saving the universe, I don't know. It reads like he's seen a few too many episodes of Wormhole XTreme."

"What on Earth is…never mind, I don't want to know." Mohinder closed the folder, laying it aside. "There is nothing to tie him to this…Project Blue Book?"

"Nothing I could find," Nathan agreed. "But it's buried so deep I can't find anything. He could be in it up to his neck for all I know."

"He's not," Peter said quietly. "He wasn't important. He's only…on the way."

"On the way where?" Nathan protested.

Mohinder turned, looking at the painting of the floating city. "There. Sylar's trying to get there."

* * *

Standing down, it turned out, was really, really boring. There was only so much needling Rodney would take before retaliating, and John didn't much enjoy freezing cold showers and doors refusing to open for him. Teyla and I had gone to visit the Athosians, and once he'd palmed off his paperwork onto Lorne he had nothing left to do.

Elizabeth tolerated his frequent visits with a fairly good grace, although by the fourth time he asked if there was any news she was looking a little frazzled.

"Perhaps you should take an exploratory team into the city," she said finally, three days into the stand down. "There are still many areas we haven't cleared yet."

"Sounds like fun," he agreed.

"Be careful," she added. "Rodney's sensor project isn't quite done yet."

"I thought he said two days?"

"Yes, well, he's surrounded by incompetents. Didn't you know?"

"I'll go ask Zelenka who I can take."

"I'm sure they'd be grateful. Go have fun."

* * *

Peter was pacing. Nathan watched him carefully, pretending to read the sheets Mohinder kept giving him.

"Nathan."

"Yes?" He put down the latest sheet. "Ocean Bluff. I heard you."

Mohinder lowered his voice. "Peter sees what he sees for a reason."

"He's going to get himself killed. Again. One of these times he'll stay dead."

"He believes very strongly…"

"If he keeps poking around Project Blue Book the military will find him, and if they find out what he can do..."

"They can't hold me," Peter pointed out, coming to join them.

"The Company did."

"That was voluntary."

"And your jailer was insane. That's not likely to happen again, so we need to leave Project Blue Book alone, ok?"

Peter studied him for a moment before nodding jerkily. "So what do we…"

"Right now we go get some rest. We can't do anything until Mohinder figures out what the gene sequence does."

"I don't want to…"

"Peter," Nathan said quietly.

Peter grimaced, turning away. "Yeah. Alright."

* * *

"Sir?" Sam tapped on the door, leaning around it. Daniel was behind her, holding a folder and leafing through it.

"Yeah." Jack waved her in, turning down the volume on his TV.

"Sir, we may have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"A security problem. A geneticist in New York has been searching for occurrences of the ATA, and a senator called Nathan Petrelli has been looking into the project."

"Looking into?"

"He hasn't gotten anything but the Project Blue Book cover yet, but if he keeps digging…"

"What about the geneticist?"

"Mohinder Suresh. He's been studying the Meta mutation. His father was the first person to posit its' existence."

Jack looked at Daniel, who translated, "They're both looking for the SGC but they're coming at it from different ends."

"Nathan had an accurate reproduction of our patch." Sam touched her shoulder patch.

"Ok, that's not good."

"No, it's not," Daniel agreed. "He's approached the IOA."

"He's not…"

"NID, no sir. There was a suspected link to a mobster in Las Vegas, but it was never proved."

"Also, he quit the senate for a while, but that was cleared up," Daniel added. "He seems to be about as level as any politician."

"Not much," Jack summed up.

"Not much," Daniel agreed. "General Landry wants us to keep an eye on them; so far they're nowhere near finding us, but if they keep digging…"

"We might have to send out the men in black?" Jack suggested.

"Something like that, sir," Sam agreed.

"So can I leave yet?"

"No, Jack, they don't think this is related to Joe."

"Ah. Well, in that case…" Jack turned the TV back up. "You'll excuse me. New episode, you know."

The Simpson's theme music played, and Sam smiled faintly. "Right, sir. We'll keep you updated."

"You do that," he agreed, waving them out.

* * *

Peter was standing on an open field, watching some kind of fight take place. He couldn't make out the participants very well; there was a lot of flipping and kicking and the occasional explosion, and the dust they were throwing up obscured them quite neatly.

"You're the chameleon, right?"

He turned to see a man wearing what looked like a purple and black training suit watching him.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure that's the right question."

His gaze slid past Peter to the fight, and Peter asked, more quietly, "Who are they?"

"Students. Or heroes. Depending."

"Students of what?"

"Me. You're the chameleon?"

"Empath," Peter said slowly. He rarely bothered to define his power, it just was, but empath was how both Mohinder and Claude had described it.

"Empath," the man repeated. Bowing slightly, he added, "I am the wolf."

"Where are we?" Peter asked again.

"I told you. That's the wrong question."

"Then what's the right question?"

He smiled. "The right question would be, how do we stop this from happening again."

The dust cleared and Peter blinked in surprise. Half the participants in the fight were kids, teenagers wearing variants on the training uniform. The other half were…his first instinct was to label them as 'monsters', tall, thin, pale beings with distorted faces and long black cloaks or coats.

"When did this happen?" he asked softly.

"It hasn't yet. But it will. In the city on the water."

Peter turned, ready to ask more, and a wolf in the purple uniform jumped at him.

* * *

Chylea: I can do you a scorecard if you like! ::Grins:: Next chapter we met even more people, so sing if you want it!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Four

"RJ."

"_RJ_."

"Lily, don't…"

"RJ?"

RJ recognised the soft, insistent voice, but he couldn't figure out why he was hearing it until he opened his eyes.

Casey was flat on his back on the training mat, pinned awkwardly under him. He was watching carefully, but he didn't seem to be scared or even concerned. Lily was hovering at his shoulder, clearly desperate to help and just as clearly unsure how to.

"RJ?" Casey said quietly, holding his gaze.

"I…" The wolf tried to scramble forward, fighting for control, and he squeezed his eyes shut, tensing. "Look _away_."

Casey didn't move. RJ was breathing too fast and he knew his student could feel it, but he didn't dare open his eyes until the wolf was under control.

When he did Casey had tilted his gaze to the side, raising his chin. Satisfied with the show of submission, the wolf retreated and RJ stood, carefully taking several steps away from Casey.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked softly, kneeling beside him.

"Fine. I'm fine, he didn't…RJ?"

RJ shuddered, once, and then turned to face them, deliberately wide-eyed. "Whoa. That was weird."

"Weird?" Lily protested. "You nearly…"

"Lil," Casey said, cutting across her. He'd propped himself up on one elbow, but he wasn't moving any further and every time RJ tried to catch his eye, he ducked his head. "What's wrong with the wolf?"

RJ shook his head. "I was meditating. You must have startled me."

"You were yelling," Lily told him. "We heard you downstairs."

"What were you seeing?" Casey asked curiously.

"You can get up," RJ told him. "I'm not going to jump you."

"Yeah, the tiger's not so sure, so I'll just stay here, if you don't mind." Despite his words he sat upright, shifting to sit cross-legged.

Lily was still at his shoulder, but she pushed to her feet, eyes wide. "RJ, your hand."

RJ looked down at his wrist; a red mark, like a burn, ringed it. "Oh," he said. Thoughtfully, he added, "Ow."

"Does it hurt?" Casey asked. He'd tensed up, but he was still making no attempt to move.

"No." RJ touched it lightly. "Oh. Now it does. Quite a lot, actually."

"The wolf's upset about something. That's your morpher."

"I don't wear my morpher anymore."

Lily took his hand, tracing gently around the edges of the mark. "It's exactly the same shape," she said over her shoulder to Casey. "RJ, when was the last…"

She'd trailed off, RJ assumed, because his eyes were closed again. Or maybe the wolf was showing. He couldn't see to tell.

"Let go, please," he said quietly. She did, taking what sounded like two or three steps away and stumbling over the edge of the training mats, going down hard.

"Theo, stop," Casey ordered—he was on his feet again, RJ noticed absently, wondering what he looked like if the tiger was willing to risk another showdown with the wolf. "RJ?"

"I think," RJ said carefully, concentrating fiercely on each word, "that maybe none of you should touch me."

"What's wrong?" Theo asked softly.

"The wolf wants out," Casey answered just as quietly. "Go get Lily. Carefully."

No one spoke for several minutes; RJ patiently willed the wolf back, forcing it down as deep as he could. When he thought he had it under control he opened his eyes, turning.

The teens were grouped by the stairs, Casey in front. "Everything's cool," RJ promised. "Just don't touch me yet," he added as they started forward. "Lil, you ok?"

"Fine. I'm sorry if I…upset you? I didn't mean…"

"It's fine," he assured her. "I'm fine, you're fine, Casey's fine, and Theo…"

"Missed everything, as usual," Casey filled in.

"Hey! I was busy doing your job!"

"I don't work here anymore," Casey reminded him.

"We should all be doing our jobs," RJ commented. "And by we all, I mean you three. Casey, you remember how?"

Lily and Theo went; Casey stayed where he was, arms folded as he studied RJ.

"You should go, too," RJ warned him.

"Last time your wolf spirit was unbalanced, I ended up chasing you all over town during an attack," Casey said neutrally.

"No more attacks, remember? I'm fine. You startled me out of meditation and I was off-balance. That's all."

"What did you see?" He took a step forward. "You saw something that upset the wolf."

"A man," RJ admitted. "And a battle to come."

"We're done fighting. Dai Shi's gone, remember?"

"Not Dai Shi. Something ancient, and hungry, and…don't touch me…"

Casey stood for a moment, hand still extending, before lowering it slowly. "Whatever it is, we'll deal. We're Pai Zhua masters."

RJ glanced down at his wrist. "Yeah. I think that may be part of the problem."

* * *

Peter was awake when Nathan got up the next morning, sketching idly. "More?" Nathan asked, leaning over the back of the couch to look.

"Morning, Nathan," Peter said without looking up. "How'd you sleep?"

"In a bed. Which is more than you did, from the looks of you. Did you sleep at all?"

"Yes, I slept. I dreamed." Peter put down the paper, tossing the pencil after it. "It wasn't exactly restful."

"What is this?" Nathan picked up the paper, studying it.

"That's what they're fighting." Peter rose, pacing to the window and staring out.

"What who are fighting?"

"In the city on the sea."

"Peter, this…" Nathan brandished the paper. "This is nothing. You were dreaming, that's all, a nightmare…"

"My dreams come true, Nathan."

"Not always!"

They stared at each other in silence until Nathan turned away, drawing a deep breath. "Not always," he repeated more calmly. "Only sometimes."

"This one will."

"These things?" Nathan held up the picture. He was holding it by the corner, between two fingers, touching as little of it as possible. "This isn't real. These things aren't real."

"Not here," Peter agreed calmly. "But in the city on the water they are."

"You're scaring me," Nathan said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Peter said immediately. "I am. But it's real, Nathan."

Nathan sighed, setting the page down and flipping it so the picture was obscured. "Tell me what you dreamed."

* * *

Thunk thunk catch. Thunk thunk catch. Thunk thunk…

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Carter." Jack watched his ball bounce into a corner of the room.

Sam rubbed her hip, frowning. "Yes, sir."

"News?" he asked, glancing at the folder in her hand.

"Dr Suresh is compiling a list of people with the ATA. Starting in California, for some reason." She fiddled with a corner of the file.

"Out with it," Jack ordered.

"Some months ago Dr Suresh sent a list of people he claimed were likely to be murder victims to the FBI. When it was investigated, several had already been killed."

"And…" Jack circled one hand in the air.

"The same way Joe Spencer was killed."

Jack sat forward. "Suresh?"

"Cleared, sir. He was in India when most of the deaths occurred. But sir, everyone on the list had the Meta mutation."

Jack sat upright. "Joe wasn't Meta."

Carter flinched slightly. "Actually, sir…"

"Aww, you're kidding me!"

"He never manifested. But he did have the mutation."

"That's supposed to be tracked!"

Sam pulled another three sheets from her folder, trying to pass them to him. "It seems that the ATA gene suppresses the Meta mutation thoroughly enough that the standard tests don't detect it."

"And we don't know about it because…" He took the sheets, because she kept pushing them at him, but he didn't bother reading them.

"The proportion of people with both the Meta and the ATA is so small, sir, we've never even picked this up. We've double checked now, and we're sending word to Atlantis, but none of the ATA holders here have the Meta."

"Really?" Jack snapped his fingers. "Shoot."

"Sorry, sir. No super powers today."

"What power did Joe have?"

"There's no way to know, sir, since he never manifested. We can't tell."

Jack picked up one of the sheets, turning it upside down. "Atlantis are looking for this?"

"Dr Beckett is checking their records now that he knows what he's looking for." She took the paper from him, turning it the right way up.

"Makes more sense the other way," Jack protested.

"Yes sir," Sam muttered, sliding it back into her folder. "Here." She scooped his ball back up, tossing it to him. "Have fun."

"You're tracking Suresh, right?" Jack called after her.

"We're watching him, sir!" Sam yelled back.

* * *

Chylea: Hey, if you wonder over to a href="."here/a you'll get your scorecard. :D

Liastra: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying. Hope this one lives up to expectations...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Five

Dominic arrived that evening, took one look at RJ and sent everyone away. Casey ignored him as though he hadn't heard, still watching RJ from the balcony, but the others left, taking Fran out to eat to welcome her home.

"Who called you?" RJ asked. He was ignoring Casey as comprehensively as Casey was ignoring Dominic, and with about the same effect.

"No one. I think Lily talked to Fran." Dominic shrugged and rolled his eyes, managing to broadcast 'girls!' without actually having to say it. "She got worried, wanted to come back."

"So you immediately send her away."

Dominic waved vaguely at him. "Are you telling me you can't feel that? I can feel it flare from here."

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, your animal spirit is surging. That's dangerous, RJ."

"Just because it took you six years to find your animal, you don't get to overcompensate with us," RJ warned.

Dominic blinked, turning away and striding across the loft. RJ ignored him, staring intently at the nearest wall until he heard, "Well?"

Turning, he saw Dominic standing on the training mats, shirt and shoes off. Casey had moved, unfolding his arms and gripping the railing, but he didn't speak.

"I'm not going to fight you."

"You're gonna fight someone. Might as well be me." Dominic spread his arms. "Come on. I'm not going to just show you my throat."

Casey shifted again, but he still didn't move to interfere.

"Come on, RJ. Afraid of a little rhino?"

"Dom," RJ said warningly.

"What? Wolf getting angry?" Dominic grinned. "Come on, RJ, I can stomp you on your best day, never mind today."

"Dominic," Casey said quietly.

"Stay there, Casey." He was still watching RJ. "It didn't take me six years. And I told my father straight away."

RJ hissed in a breath; Dominic could see the wolf scrambling for freedom. RJ's grip was slipping, even as he watched…

"Dominic," Casey said firmly from behind him.

"Don't worry, Casey, he can't hurt me."

"No, I…"

Dominic half turned to look at him. "I'm telling you, stay…"

"Duck!"

* * *

"Don't you have enough of my blood by now?" John groused.

"New tests, new blood." Carson tapped his arm, studying it. "It'll just take a moment."

"What are you testing for, anyway?"

"The Meta mutation."

"Excuse me?"

Carson turned to pick up the needle. "Don't they tell you anything, Colonel?"

"Not as a rule, no. I'm not Meta."

"There's new research from Earth to suggest that the ATA may mask the Meta mutation. They want us to test all our gene holders."

"Have you had Rodney in?"

"Natural gene holders only. There's some evidence that the artificial ATA won't take in Meta. One of the many reasons it fails."

John looked away as Carson slid the needle into his arm. "Ow."

"Nearly done."

"_Good_." John grimaced. "Have you been tested?"

"Aye, Dr Keller's doing it now. It doesn't take long, since we know exactly what we're looking for." He withdrew the needle, pressing a piece of tissue over the mark. "Hold that for a wee minute. I'll be right back."

Alice was standing behind him when he turned away. John eyed her critically; for a computer program, she was sometimes remarkably lifelike, and right now she seemed far too pale.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"McKay's sensor program is still not quite…" She hesitated, eyes unfocused, before finishing, "…working correctly."

"Then go back off line. Why are you even here? I thought you were staying off line until he was done."

She gestured in the general direction of Carson's office. "Your medical file was altered."

"Yeah, they're looking for…you know you're not actually standing on the floor, right?"

"Am I not?" She looked down at the floor, stamping one foot. "I can't judge where the floor is."

"Look, go back off line. Everything's fine, it's just a routine thing."

"Do they really consider you a mutant?" Alice asked abruptly, and her voice was sharp and angry.

"We don't call them mutants," John said automatically. "And no, they don't. I told you, this is routine."

"It is not," she muttered.

"Ok, now you're standing in the wall. Can you please go off line? I promise if I get in trouble I'll call you."

"All clear, Colonel," Carson said brightly, pulling back the screen around his bed. "You can go now…and send Major Lorne and his team down, if you would."

John nodded, reaching for his jacket. "What about you?"

"Clear as well. I'm not expecting to find anything in any of our people, to be honest."

"Right. Keep me updated."

Carson waved him off, focusing on his file. "Right," he said to no one in particular. "On to the next lot, then."

* * *

"I tried to warn you."

"You're enjoying this far too much."

"Yeah, well." Casey lifted the edge of the towel, eyeing the emerging bruise critically. "One of us may as well."

"For the record? Yelling 'duck' when he's already on me doesn't count as warning me."

"He wasn't on you. He was all the way on the other side of the loft. He just moves that fast."

Dominic peeled off the towel, gingerly tracing the edges of the bruise. "He's in more trouble than I thought."

"Good thing you showed your throat." Dominic rolled his eyes, and Casey continued more seriously, "This isn't just his spirit surging, this is something different."

Dominic turned to follow his gaze, wincing as abused muscles protested. RJ was sitting in full lotus under the windows on the far side of the loft, lips moving as he whispered to himself.

"I don't know what to do," Casey murmured, lowering his voice even though RJ was ignoring them completely. "The wolf never liked following, even with RJ's influence. The only way I can get it to back off now is by giving up on telling it to."

"Show your throat," Dominic said thoughtfully.

"If you have a better idea…"

"No. Our animals work in harmony with us. It's not supposed to be a struggle like this."

"I can hear you," RJ said abruptly. He rose to his feet—and Dominic might have been imagining it, but he thought his friend was moving more smoothly than usual—and headed towards the stairs.

Casey stood, blocking the stairs. RJ considered him for a moment before turning and heading for the back door.

"Dom," Casey said quietly. Dominic scrambled to rise, gasping as sore muscles screamed in protest, but he made it to the door ahead of RJ.

"That isn't going to help," RJ said, turning to Casey.

"You run to your friends, not away. You know that, or you should." Casey hadn't moved, though he had to know RJ could get past him without even trying. The blockade was really more symbolic than practical.

"You can't help with this."

"We won't find out if you leave," Dominic pointed out.

RJ spun on him, snarling, but whatever he'd been about to say was lost as he lifted one hand to touch his eye. Dominic mirrored him without thinking, hissing as he touched sore, puffy flesh.

"Not your fault," he said firmly.

"And when Lily startles me? Or Fran? You want Fran walking around with a black eye?"

Dominic tensed without meaning to at the thought of his gentle Fran getting hurt, but Casey spoke up before either of them could. "You didn't hurt her before, you won't hurt her now."

"_No_. That was _different_. That was still me, just—really messed up. This is something from outside me."

"Your spirit animal can't be influenced by anything outside you," Dominic pointed out. "Even Dai Shi couldn't affect Jarrod's lion."

"I know that!" RJ shoved both hands through his hair.

Casey and Dominic had both tensed at the show of frustration; it was so out of character for RJ, neither was quite sure what to do.

"Our animal spirits are part of us," he said after a moment. "This—whatever—it looks like the wolf, it feels like the wolf, but it's something outside me."

"Whatever's outside you," Casey said firmly, "it's staying inside the loft with us."

"Everything outside me?" he murmured. "That's going to be a tight fit."

Casey laughed softly, relaxing from his guard position. Dominic was relaxing as well when he saw something that made him tense up all over again.

"RJ, your hand…"

"Oh, I know," he agreed without looking. "Something doesn't like that I wore a morpher." Thoughtfully, he added, "You'd think they'd have complained while I was actually wearing it."

Casey considered him. "Put it on."

"You want him to put it on over that?" Dominic asked. The mark on RJ's wrist was darkening, more like a bruise now than the burn it had first resembled.

"No. Can you wear it on your other wrist?"

"I don't think it'll help."

"Maybe."

RJ sighed, glancing at the cupboard to one side of the floor. Casey crossed to it, digging out the small wooden box and tossing it to Dominic. Dominic lifted out the morpher, running a finger over it lightly.

"Sure?" he asked, watching RJ.

"No." RJ half smiled. "Are you?"

Dominic lobbed the morpher, underhand. RJ caught it and immediately spun, throwing it away across the loft. Casey caught it almost without looking, stepping towards him.

"Back," RJ hissed, and both Casey and Dominic backed up without hesitation. "That…hurt," he added, oddly calm.

"RJ?" Casey said carefully.

RJ held up the hand he'd caught the morpher in. A purple bruise, matching the one on his other wrist, spread across his fingers.

"Right. Morpher…bad idea." Casey turned away, jumping the stairs to head to the kitchen.

RJ sighed, closing his eyes. Dominic watched him until Casey came back, brandishing the first aid kit. "RJ? You ok if I..."

"I'll do it," Dominic said, holding up a hand.

"Why?"

"Because the rhino's not in competition with the wolf."

"It's not the wolf," RJ reminded him.

"It's still appearing as the wolf. It's still acting like the wolf. But the wolf," he caught the first aid kit, pulling out the bruise cream, "has no argument with the rhino." He caught RJ's eye. "Cos he knows the rhino'll stomp him if he tries anything."

"The rhino got stomped last time, I seem to recall," RJ said idly. "No," he added, as Dominic finished with his fingers and reached for his wrist.

"Sure?"

"Very."

Dominic nodded, putting the first aid kit back together. "Alright. Don't blame me if it keeps you awake."

Casey glanced over his shoulder at a noise from downstairs. "The girls are back. And Theo." It was almost an after thought.

"Go tell them what's going on," Dominic suggested.

"Love to, except we have no idea what's going on."

"Go tell them that then. RJ and I'll hang out here."

* * *

Tera Earth; Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying.

Chylea: Hey. Wolf doesn't show back up this week, but he will reappear, promise.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Six

"This is not a good idea!" Nathan called.

"It's the only idea we have!" Peter yelled back.

"That doesn't make it a good one!"

"Yes, we all remember how well my road trip worked out, don't we?" Mohinder agreed.

Peter walked past his desk, taking the list out of his hand. "We're not dragging Sylar around with us."

"That's not fair," Nathan reminded him.

Peter waved it off, studying the list. "Where d'you want to start, Nathan?"

"By thinking this over very carefully for several days. We have no proof Sylar is going after any of these people, we can't just walk up to them and say 'Hey, a serial killer may be coming to…"

Peter clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"…freeze you and ki…where are we?"

"California," Peter said cheerfully. "Specifically, Ocean Bluff."

"And we're in California because…"

"Because there's a blood donor here who has both gene sequences, and we have to start somewhere."

"No, Peter." Nathan rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "We don't have to start anywhere, we can just…"

"Um…we're closed."

They turned to see a young woman standing in a doorway. Nathan looked around for the first time; they were standing in the courtyard of what looked like a restaurant…a closed restaurant.

"We're looking for Robert James," Peter said politely.

The woman hesitated, glancing over her shoulder before turning back to them. "He's not here right now."

Peter took half a step back, and Nathan asked quickly, "Are you sure? It's important."

"I'm sorry." She even looked sorry. "I don't know when he'll be back."

"Fran, what's going on?" A teenaged boy wearing a red hat came to join her at the door, eyes widening when he saw them. "Is something wrong?" he added, the words clearly aimed at her though he didn't look away from the two men.

"They're looking for RJ," Fran explained. The boy tensed, and she added quickly, "But I told them he's not here and we don't know when he'll be back, because we don't."

"Right," he agreed.

"RJ's upstairs," Peter told Nathan, not bothering to keep his voice down.

The boy tensed again; another girl and boy joined him in the doorway, easing Fran back behind them.

"We're not looking for trouble," Nathan said quickly, raising his hands. "And if RJ's not here, we'll go away. But we came because he think he might be in trouble."

The four looked at each other, frowning and raising eyebrows. Peter's gaze was flicking from one to another, tracing the silent communications.

"What kind of trouble?" the second girl asked after a moment, looking back at them.

"The kind of trouble that's hard to explain," Peter said intently. "Maybe he's able to do things he couldn't before? Or…" He trailed off, studying the boy in the red hat. "A wolf?"

"Ok." The boy immediately backed up, forcing the others with him. "This conversation is over."

"We can help him!" Peter said urgently. The girl looked like she was trying to listen, but the two boys disagreed and were trying to lock the door. "Please, just…listen to us."

"You listen," the boy said, letting go of the door to face off against Peter. Nathan was quietly impressed; Peter's height made him look deceptively lanky, but he was solid. The boy was looking up at him without any trace of doubt or fear. "Leave RJ alone. Or you'll be sorry."

"Pete, stop," Nathan said firmly, catching his arm. "Sorry," he added, addressing the girl in yellow. "We didn't mean to disturb you. We're leaving now. But look." He held up a card, placing it carefully on the table beside them. "When RJ gets back, he might want to call us, ok?"

"I'll pass the message on," she agreed, watching as Nathan ushered Peter out of the courtyard.

"Nathan, what are…"

"Either keep walking, or take us back to New York, Peter."

"He's there," Peter insisted. "And he's…there's something wrong, but I couldn't sort out what."

"You're not going to find out by making them angry. And no teleporting there, or going invisible and walking through their wall, or…" he thought quickly. "Frying their electrics. Got it?"

Peter studied him for a moment before laughing. "You never let me have any fun," he accused lightly.

"Someone's got to be the grown up in this relationship. Can we please go back to New York?"

Peter nodded, still laughing, and touched his shoulder.

***

"No unexpected results," Carson said, dropping a folder onto Elizabeth's desk. "I tested all the artificial holders as well, just to be sure, but everyone's clean. No Meta mutation anywhere. Our lone Meta is still alone."

"That's fine. Thank you, Carson."

"More or less what you were expecting?" John asked, watching her flick through the file.

Elizabeth lifted her head, watching through the door as Carson exchanged a quiet word with Zelenka before leaving Control. "More or less, yes. John…"

"Meta mutation's a secret, can't tell anyone, yeah yeah yeah." He leaned forward. "Population this small, Elizabeth, if anyone did manifest we'd know about it pretty quickly. We're just lucky he's not manifested, or not done it out loud."

"You know they're considering bringing it out into the open?" she said reflectively. "They wouldn't force anyone to confess, of course, but they're trying to lessen the stigma attached."

"Won't work," John said quietly. "It'll tear the country apart."

"Yes, that's what's holding them back. That, and the fear of revealing the private companies currently charged with keeping the Meta population under control."

John laughed softly. "I can see why that would hold them back. What would you have done if another of us were Meta?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth said reflectively. "You wouldn't manifest, anyway, so maybe nothing."

"They figured all that out from Joe Spencer? Poor guy."

Elizabeth smiled faintly. "They still haven't released your teams."

John thumped the desk lightly. "Darn. Just not having any luck today."

"Can you go find Rodney and make him report? He's not answering his radio."

"Yeah. I'll let you know."

***

"Well, that worked out well," Nathan said, loosening his tie.

"No luck?" Mohinder asked mildly.

"He was there. But they weren't talking. Something went wrong, he's manifesting out of control." Peter sighed, staring at the paintings.

"Do you think he's dangerous?"

"He thinks he is. They think they can help him…it's all mixed up, but they're not nearly as surprised as they should be."

"If he's only manifesting now…"

"Yeah. There's something funny about them." Peter was still studying the painting of Mohinder in the lab.

"They might have been more willing to talk if you hadn't scared them," Nathan pointed out.

"No. They weren't going to talk to us anyway…they were hoping for someone else." Peter frowned, tilting his head. "Nathan?"

"Yeah."

"Is there someone else in this painting?"

Nathan frowned, coming to join him. Peter gestured to a shadowed corner, behind Mohinder.

"Maybe," Nathan said after a minute. "It's hard to tell."

Mohinder joined them, squinting at the shape. "It could be," he agreed finally. "It's difficult to tell, the shadows are so deep."

"Could you draw it any clearer?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. I didn't try to draw that one." He glanced around, shaking his head. "I'll try, I guess."

***

"He might have been able to help," Lily was protesting as they came into the loft.

"No," Theo said firmly. "This is a Pai Zhua problem. We'll fix it."

"It's not a Pai Zhua problem," RJ said without looking up. "Hey, Frannie."

"Hey, RJ." She came to hug him without hesitation; Dominic watched carefully, but the wolf didn't react. "You Ok?"

"I've had better days," he admitted.

"So I see," she agreed, touching the back of his hand lightly. The purple mark was spreading up from his wrist. "Dom, can I have the first aid kit?"

"We've already put stuff on it." RJ twisted gently out of her grip, taking a couple of steps back.

Casey touched Fran's shoulder, urging her gently back. "Touch is bad," he explained. "Makes the wolf surge. That's what happened to Dom."

"Oh!" Fran grimaced, seeing Dominic's eye clearly for the first time.

"It's fine," he told her. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Two men came to the door," Theo said from the base of the steps. "They wanted to talk to RJ because he might be in trouble."

Dominic frowned. "Have you guys told anyone?"

Lily raised her hand. "I told Fran."

"Apart from that." Dominic gestured that away.

"No."

Fran shook her head when Dominic looked at her. "I didn't tell anyone. Except you."

"One of them said something about a wolf," Casey said slowly.

"Pai Zhua?" Dominic asked.

"I didn't recognise them. And they'd have identified themselves, surely? Everyone in the order knows RJ."

"All the Masters know RJ," Theo corrected him.

"They weren't students," Lily said. She held up a card; RJ made no move to take it, and she set it carefully down on the TV. "The other one left a number. In case you want to call."

Dominic crossed to pick up the card, flicking it idly. "Geneticist. Why would a geneticist want to talk to you? This isn't a genetics problem."

"My sparkling wit and conversation skills?" RJ suggested.

"That must be it," Dominic agreed.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Lily said abruptly. "Fran, think you remember how to make a pizza?"

"Sure," Fran agreed, letting Lily urge her towards the stairs. "Dom, you want to help?"

"Maybe later. You know what I like."

Fran giggled, following Lily down into the kitchen.

* * *

Chylea: No wolf this time either, I'm afraid, but lots of Fran to make up! :D


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Seven

Mohinder stepped carefully around Peter and joined Nathan at the desk. "He hasn't gone into a trance," he observed quietly.

"No. He usually doesn't," Nathan agreed. "Why is this guy manifesting? You said the second sequence should block it."

"It should, and according to the blood sample on file, it is. I'd need a more up to date sample to find out what's happening to him."

"I don't think you're likely to get it," Nathan told him. "The kids there were very protective of him."

Mohinder nodded. "Possibly some of his employees? Here…"

He pulled up employment records and Nathan nodded. "Yeah. Those four. Are any of them…?"

"No samples on record for three of them, and the fourth…you said Fran?"

"That's what they called her."

"She has neither the Meta mutation nor the new sequence." Mohinder pulled RJ's results back up. "Without a new sample, Nathan, there's little more I can do."

Nathan nodded, straightening to look at Peter. "You got anything?"

"No." Peter laid the pad aside. "Just the same thing again. And the…what they're fighting."

"Oh?" Mohinder looked from Nathan to Peter and back. "What's this?"

Peter tossed the pad to him. "What they're fighting, in the city on the water."

Mohinder studied the picture for a moment, looking up to meet Nathan's gaze. "I see," he said quietly, lowering the pad.

"Yeah, Nathan thinks I'm crazy too." Peter said it without any bitterness.

"I didn't say that," Nathan protested.

"I don't think you're crazy," Mohinder added before the conversation could degenerate. "But I can tell you, creatures such as the ones you've drawn here do not exist."

"Not here," Peter said again.

Nathan rubbed the bridge of his nose. "He thinks the city's on another planet," he explained.

"Still think I'm not crazy?"

"I believe you're not crazy. But if the city is on another planet, I don't see how we are to get there." He studied Peter. "Can you teleport that far?"

"I need to know where I'm going. But I don't think the distance would matter."

"Alright, enough. This is insane. Tell me you're not actually thinking of teleporting to another planet, to a city that might not even exist!"

"It does exist. But no. I can't teleport to it unless I know where it is."

"Good! Peter…tell me you realise how crazy this is."

"I know how it sounds," Peter agreed quietly. "But it's going to happen. Mohinder, who is that?"

Mohinder glanced back at his screen; RJ's records were still up. "RJ."

"That's RJ?" Peter laughed softly. "That's the man from my dream."

"From last night?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. He turned into a wolf."

"You said his power has something to do with a wolf?" Mohinder asked.

"Yeah, but I couldn't tell what. Everyone was very confused."

Mohinder's phone rang and he pulled it out, studying the display with a frown. "I left your number with RJ," Nathan told him.

"Oh. How kind of you. Hello? Yes, this is Doctor Suresh…we weren't _planning_ anything…I can explain, if you'll let me…"

He held the phone away, wincing. "The young man is not happy about your visit," he told Nathan.

Peter took the phone from him. "Who is this? Dominic, my name is Peter Petrelli. I need you to listen very carefully."

* * *

Daniel tapped on Jack's door, leaning in around the frame. "Jack, you wanna get out of here for a while?"

"Where are we going?"

"Sam's found the FBI agent who's been investigating the other murders that match Joe's. General Landry thought you'd like to come meet her with us."

"Sounds like fun," Jack agreed.

"I'll buy you coffee," Daniel offered. "There'll be actual sky."

"I'm sold. Let's go."

Teal'c and Sam joined them in the parking lot. Jack glanced around, frowning. "Where are Mitchell and Vala?"

"Vala's restricted to base at the moment," Daniel said.

"And Cam had paperwork," Sam added. "Plus, he thought you might enjoy going out with the old standards. So to speak."

"No escort?"

"We have Teal'c," Daniel pointed out.

"This is true."

"Anyone wishing to harm you must first go through me, O'Neill," Teal'c told him solemnly.

"Yeah. Back atcha." He clapped his hands together. "Well! What say we go give them their shot, huh?"

Agent Hanson was waiting for them in a coffee shop in Colerado Springs; she stood when she saw them come in, but she didn't seem especially worried.

"Agent Hanson?" Sam asked. "I'm Colonel Carter, this is General O'Neill, Dr Jackson and Murray."

Hanson shook hands all around. "Nice to meet you. My supervisor said you wanted to know about the Sylar murders?"

"Sylar?" Daniel repeated, sitting down.

"Coffee?" Jack asked, interrupting her as she went to answer. "Daniel?"

"Thanks," Daniel said absently.

"No, thank you," Hanson said carefully.

Jack wandered up to the counter, followed by Teal'c. Sam sat beside Daniel. "You said Sylar?" she prompted the other woman.

"The third victim was still alive when emergency services reached him. 'Sylar' was his last word. We've been using it as an identifier for the killer."

"No clues?"

Hanson shrugged tightly, eyes on her cup. "There's no physical evidence left behind; he doesn't touch anything, leave any trace. We haven't been able to identify the weapon he uses. There's no correlation between the victims that we can find."

"There must be some evidence," Sam protested.

"Neighbours never remember seeing anything. There's no hair, no skin, no blood but the victim's."

"How does he freeze them?"

Another shrug. "There's no sign of any equipment. There's no nitrogen on the bodies. As far as our labs can tell it's a natural freeze, induced in a fraction of a second."

"That's mutually exclusive," Daniel pointed out quietly.

"No one expects me to solve these murders, Dr Jackson, that's why I was given them." She glanced up as Jack and Teal'c came back to the table. "You knew the newest victim?"

"Joe Spencer," Sam confirmed.

"Yeah, I remember. His family were lucky."

"Lucky?" Jack repeated incredulously.

"They weren't there. Sylar's left only one witness alive, and he tried to come back for her."

"Who was she?" Sam asked.

"Little girl called Mollie Walker. But she won't be able to tell you anything. She survived because she was hidden and Sylar never found her. She didn't see anything."

Sam glanced at Jack. "Think we should see her anyway?"

"Couldn't hurt."

"Why is the military interested anyway?" Hanson asked, looking from one to another of them. "No, let me guess. Sylar's a terrorist, right?"

Sam started to answer, but Jack cut her off. "Joe and I were very close. I'm not trying to step on your toes here, Agent Hanson, we're just trying to find answers."

"Where is Mollie Walker now?" Daniel asked.

Hanson hesitated, studying them. "Call my commanding officer," Jack suggested, pulling out his cell.

"No. I'm guessing you can find out anyway. I will be calling her guardian to warn him."

"That's fair enough," Daniel agreed quickly.

"She went to a private medical facility for a while, and was then placed in the care of a geneticist named Mohinder Suresh." She hesitated when Sam reacted, continuing more slowly, "He lives in New York; I'll have to look for his address, but I'll get it to you."

"Thank you," Daniel said quickly. "If we find out anything, we'll pass it on."

"Why a geneticist?" Jack asked.

"Mollie had a rare genetic disorder. Dr Suresh found the cure, and she was placed in his care in case it should reoccur."

"What disorder?" Sam asked.

"I don't think it has a name. Mollie's one of two recorded cases, and the other girl died."

"Mohinder Suresh." Daniel made a show of writing it down, even though they all knew the name. "You'll get me his details?"

"Soon as I get them," she promised. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Alright, campers, let's go."

* * *

Chylea: I'm doing my best! This one's a little longer, I think. Enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Eight

"RJ doesn't know I called you," Dominic told the phone. "At least, I don't think he does."

_"Is he dangerous?"_ the man on the other end asked.

Dominic hesitated. "He's not…really in control. RJ wouldn't hurt us, any of us, but…"

_"I understand. Can you tell me how he's manifesting?"_

"Can you help him or not?"

"_We need to know what's happening to him._"

"This was a bad idea," Dominic said, shaking his head. "Forget I called."

"_Wait_," Peter said urgently. "_We want to help, but you have to tell me what's happening._"

"Dom?"

Dominic turned to see Fran standing in the doorway. "Who are you talking to?"

"I'll be in in a minute," he told her, ignoring the question.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked again.

Peter was still talking; Dominic could only just hear him. He didn't bother waiting for a break in the conversation, just said in the general direction of the phone "I'll call you later," and hung up.

Fran came towards him, taking the card from his hand. "Dr Suresh?" she asked quietly.

Dominic shrugged, looking down at his phone. "Any port in a storm."

"You don't know anything about him."

"I'm worried about RJ," Dominic told her. "He's in trouble. This is…I don't even know what this is, but it's not anything the Pai Zhua can help with. If this doctor can, then…"

"He can," Peter said from behind them.

Dominic spun, automatically stepping in front of Fran. Peter raised his hands, taking a step back. "Sorry. It sounded…I thought you might be in trouble."

"No trouble," Dominic said. "How close were you?"

Peter waved it off. "Listen. If your friend is manifesting out of control I can't go in there. But Mohinder's waiting; I can go get him right now. He's good. I'm sure he can help."

"What's wrong with RJ?" Fran asked quietly.

Peter hesitated. "It's complicated. And difficult to explain. But if you let me go get Mohinder, I promise to try."

"RJ's been…attacking people," Dominic warned him. "He can't tolerate touch at the moment."

"Mohinder'll need a blood test, but apart from that he shouldn't need to touch him. I'll bring Nathan as well, just in case." He studied Dominic, waiting for his answer.

"We should ask the others," Fran said softly.

"No. Go do it," Dominic told Peter.

"Dom…"

"If they hate the idea I'll take responsibility. No need to get them worried. Do it," he added to Peter, who turned and left the courtyard.

"They're gonna be really angry," Fran murmured.

"Fine. Go inside so they don't know you were out here. They don't have to be angry at you as well."

Peter reappeared barely a minute later, Nathan and Mohinder on his heels.

"Ok, seriously," Dominic protested. "Were you all standing around the corner?"

"Part of that long story I promised you," Peter said, smiling faintly. "RJ's inside?"

"Upstairs. You don't want to come in?"

"Better if I don't."

Dominic nodded slowly, turning to the others. "Dr Suresh?"

"Yes."

"I'll show you up. The others don't know you're here, so…"

"I see. Very well."

Nathan put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Peter says RJ's violent."

"Did he," Dominic said, studying Peter. To Nathan, he continued, "He's mistaken. RJ doesn't like being touched right now."

"So I see." Mohinder gestured to Dominic's eye.

"He's fine apart from that, and one of us will be there anyway."

"Dominic, what's going on?" Casey demanded from behind him.

"Dr Suresh came to see if he could help," Dominic told him.

"Shouldn't that be a team decision?" Casey asked. His tone was faintly warning.

"The team wasn't even considering it, so I took a leap." He gestured Casey back, out of their earshot. "We have no idea what's wrong. If they can help…"

"We don't know anything about them," Casey hissed.

"We know they have some idea what's happening to RJ. Just let them try. They can hardly make it worse."

Casey studied him for a long moment without answering; Dominic added, very softly, "He's my friend too, Casey. Trust me."

Casey raised his voice without looking away from Dominic. "He's upstairs. I'll show you."

"Thank you," Mohinder said politely. Nathan glanced at Peter, who gestured him on.

"So," Dominic said, perching on the nearest table. "Talk."

***

"And…done." Rodney typed in the last command, sitting back. "Updates are now completed."

"And only three days late, too. Well done!"

"Oh, very funny. I'll have you know these sensors were not wired correctly in the first place."

John smiled, leaning back against the wall. "So we now know where everyone is and what species they are?"

"And how healthy they are."

"Really?"

"Well, it won't read their blood pressure, but yeah, it'll tell us if someone's bleeding to death."

"That might actually come in useful. Thanks, Rodney."

"Yes, because I did it for you," Rodney agreed dryly. "Don't you have anything else to do? Anything useful?"

"Nope. We're still on stand down, and I've caught up with all my paperwork…"

"Ha!"

"…so I've got nothing to do except make sure you're ok."

"Why wouldn't I be ok?"

"Well, you stopped reporting two days ago, and you haven't answered your headset since lunch time yesterday. Figured I'd come make sure none of your team had jumped you."

Zelenka laughed softly, ducking his head hastily when Rodney turned to glare at him.

"If you insist on bothering me, at least do something useful. Go wander around the city, I want to test the scanners."

"I thought they were working," John said mildly. Rodney started to answer, and he said hastily, "I'm going. Anywhere in particular?"

"Somewhere I don't know. I'm testing the scanners, not your skill at hide and seek."

John grinned, shoving off the wall and heading to the nearest transporter.

***

"Need any help there, Carter?" Jack asked politely.

"No sir."

"Sure? You don't need a hand? Someone else to wriggle around there?"

Sam lowered her lock picks, glaring at him. "Do you want to do this, sir?"

"No, no." He waved her off. "Continue. You're doing a fine job."

"Jack, Mohinder isn't here," Daniel pointed out. "What are we doing?"

"We're…just looking."

"For…"

"Stuff."

"Stuff? Seriously, that's the best you can do?"

"Got it." Sam lowered her picks again, pushing the door open.

"Is this not breaking and entering?" Teal'c asked, watching the corridor as Sam slipped into the apartment.

Jack considered for a moment. "Not when we do it," he said finally.

"I see." Teal'c followed him in, closing the door and stationing himself in front of it.

"Computer's locked," Sam reported.

"Can you get around it?" Jack asked, picking up a couple of medical files and immediately dropping them again.

"I think so. Give me a minute."

Daniel was looking through the canvases stacked against one wall. "Anything?" Jack asked, wandering over to join him.

"I'm not sure." He held up a painting of an eclipse.

"Nice." Daniel looked at him, raising an eyebrow, and he protested "What? It is nice!"

"Uh huh." Daniel let the canvases fall back into place.

"Got something, sir," Sam said. Daniel came to look over her shoulder; Jack stayed where he was, listening. "There's three more layers on encryption on most of the programs, but his history says he was looking at the staff of a restaurant in California."

"Why?" Jack asked blankly.

"Owner has the ATA," Daniel told him. "And…" He ran a finger along a line on the screen. "Another genetic sequence he's been searching for."

"What sequence?"

Daniel looked up. "A genetic one."

"Right. Sam, what's the address?"

Sam reeled it off. "It'll take at least a day, sir, even on military transport."

Jack grinned, pulling a radio from his pocket. "Nice thing about being a General is the perks. Colonel Ellis! How are you?"

"Fine thanks, Colonel."

"Getting bored up there in orbit? Fancy a break in routine?"

"We're ready to transport you on your word."

"Teal'c!" Jack said, gesturing. Teal'c flipped the lock on the door and came down to join them. "Alright, Ellis, transport away."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Nine

Casey asked Mohinder and Nathan to wait while he went to tell RJ they were here. He'd sent the others out to hear what Peter was saying.

RJ was standing beside his chair, staring at it. "Casey?" RJ asked cautiously, pausing.

"Yes," RJ said, turning to look at him. "What's going on? I've been all alone for at least three minutes. I was starting to think you trusted me."

"Yeah." Casey ignored his last comment, coming down the steps and pausing at the base. "Dominic called the guys who were here earlier. They're downstairs."

"I see."

"I can send them away. He wants to take a blood sample."

"Oh?"

"i_RJ_/i."

RJ almost smiled at the frustration in Casey's voice. "No. Let them up."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Casey nodded, jumping the stairs again and heading down to the kitchen.

RJ waited patiently. Casey reappeared a moment later, leading two men.

"RJ? Nathan Petrelli, and Dr Mohinder Suresh."

"Mr James," Mohinder said politely.

"RJ."

Mohinder nodded. "I need a blood sample, if that's alright with you."

RJ considered him for a moment. "You know what's happening?"

"I have an idea. But I need the blood sample to be sure."

RJ gestured. "Pass me the needle, I'll do it."

"RJ," Casey protested.

"Very well," Mohinder agreed simultaneously. "I assume you know how."

"Yes. I know how."

Casey watched, eyes narrowed, as RJ slid the needle in. The wolf surged at the sight of the blood, but the other men didn't seem to notice and RJ got it back under control a moment later.

"There," he said, placing the needle carefully on the TV and backing away. Mohinder waited until he stopped moving to step forward and pick it up.

"May I ask how you're manifesting?" he asked, labelling the syringe. RJ didn't answer, and he clarified, "How you've been changing."

"I understand the question," RJ said quietly.

Nathan lifted off the floor, hovering several feet above them. Casey blinked, backing up to stand nearer RJ.

"You can't really surprise us," he said, drifting back down to stand beside Mohinder again.

RJ looked at Mohinder, who shook his head. "No powers here. But I have met many people with abilities."

RJ shifted slightly but didn't speak. Casey glanced at him before beginning, "We belong to an order that teaches us, among other things, about our spirit animal. Some of us, when we reach a certain level, can manifest our animals. RJ's is manifesting out of control, it keeps attacking people."

"Animal spirits," Mohinder repeated.

"A wolf?" Nathan asked.

RJ nodded. "My spirit animal is a wolf. Casey is a tiger. Dom's the rhino."

"And none of you are having problems? Just RJ," Mohinder asked Casey.

"No, we're all fine."

"What about that?" Nathan asked, gesturing to the bruise that now covered both of RJ's hands.

RJ lifted his hands, studying them. "I fell," he said blandly.

Mohinder reached for RJ's hand, turning it lightly to study the bruise. "Remarkable," he said quietly. "We've rarely seen physical manifestation of…"

"Let go," Casey interrupted him, "and step back. Slowly."

"Mohinder," Nathan said at the same time, touching his arm.

RJ was snarling. Actually snarling, teeth bared. Casey pushed lightly at Mohinder, urging him back.

"Go back to the landing," he told them, "and call Dom."

"He's outside," Mohinder said, letting Nathan pull him backwards.

"He'll hear you. Just lean over the railing." Casey turned his back on them, eyeing RJ. "RJ?"

Dominic was thundering up the stairs almost before Nathan had called; he slowed as he reached the top, moving around them without really looking. "RJ?"

"I think we're ok," Casey said without looking at him. "RJ?"

"Back down," RJ murmured, and Casey immediately dropped his gaze, looking away. Mohinder took a step forward, gripping the railing; Dominic stopped him with a hand on his arm, watching them.

RJ turned away, staring out the window, and Casey relaxed, backing up to rejoin Dominic.

"Sorry," Mohinder offered.

Dominic ignored him, looking to Casey. "What happened?"

"Mohinder touched him." Casey said it without any irritation, eyes still on RJ. "He just…it's fine, nothing happened."

RJ lifted a hand, waving in their general direction. Dominic turned, eyeing Mohinder.

"Didn't understand the 'don't touch' rule, did you?"

"I…" Mohinder grimaced, shaking his head. "My apologies. I didn't properly understand how sensitive the situation is."

"Right. Be more careful. I didn't call you here to make him worse."

Nathan bristled, but Mohinder just nodded. "My apologies," he said more loudly, aiming the words at RJ.

"Casey!" one of the girls yelled from downstairs. Casey grimaced, glancing at Dominic as he moved past.

"What is it, Lil?"

"Come down here, we have trouble!"

"More trouble?" he muttered, clattering down the stairs. "What's going on?" he added sharply, but if there was a response they couldn't hear it.

Dominic frowned, glancing at the stairs and then moving swiftly to the TV. "RJ," he said over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Mohinder asked warily.

"JKP is popular today," he muttered. "RJ!"

"I see it," RJ said from the window. "That could be trouble." To Nathan, he added, "You guys should go. The military's here."

"Why are the military here?" Mohinder said blankly.

"Looking for you." Fran was at the top of the stairs, looking nervously over her shoulder. "RJ, they want to see you."

"Where's Peter?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know, he just vanished. They didn't see him." She dropped her voice to add, "And we didn't tell them you're here."

"But we know anyway. How about that?"

They turned to see an older man in Air Force blues at the head of the stairs. Lily was just visible behind him, bobbing up and down as she tried to see what was happening.

"Do you have a warrant?" Dominic demanded. "This is a private home."

"Doesn't look very private today," the man said genially. He took several steps forward, letting Lily past; she skirted Nathan and Mohinder to join Fran. "I don't need a warrant," he added. "I'm not the police. Dr Suresh! We've been looking for you. Thought you were in New York."

"Why?" Mohinder asked, and then shook his head. "Actually, who are you?"

"General O'Neill."

Mohinder felt Nathan stiffen beside him, but he didn't speak.

"Why are you looking for Dr Suresh?" RJ asked. Mohinder glanced over and frowned; RJ had backed up, leaning against the wall, and he was breathing very fast.

"Joe Spencer," O'Neill said.

"Who?" Mohinder asked automatically, looking back at him.

"Aww, Doc, come on. We know you've been investigating his death. What's wrong with him?" he added, rounding suddenly on Lily.

"Allergies," Casey said without hesitation. O'Neill studied him; Casey returned the look without flinching until the older man turned back to Mohinder.

"So! Dr Suresh. Care to come with me, answer a few questions?"

"Certainly. I'll bring my lawyer." He glanced at Nathan, who smirked silently.

"You bring your lawyer on your house calls?"

"When necessary."

From the corner of his eye he could see Casey turn, talking urgently and very softly to RJ. O'Neill must have been able to see it as well, but he was carefully ignoring it in favour of watching Mohinder.

"No lawyer. You're not under arrest."

"Then I respectfully decline."

"It wasn't a request."

"Then I am under arrest, and I demand my lawyer."

O'Neill scowled, backing up to the head of the stairs. "Daniel!"

Lily took advantage of his distraction to slip past them, pulling Fran after her to join the others grouped around RJ.

"We may be in trouble," Nathan murmured. "As long as RJ's out of control, Peter can't come in, and I'd rather not expose us to these guys."

"Do you think they're from Project Blue Book?"

"I don't know. They could be. I recognise the name, Jack O'Neill was pretty heavy in Black Ops in his day."

"Dr Suresh," O'Neill said loudly, "this is Dr Jackson, PhD. Daniel, Dr Suresh. He's politely declined to come and answer our questions."

Fran barrelled past them; there was a yell from downstairs before she reappeared, gripping Theo firmly by the wrist.

"Stay there!" O'Neill yelled to whoever was downstairs. "What's going on over there?" he added, crossing the loft. Dominic and Lily both moved to block him; Casey was conferring urgently with Theo, and Fran was talking to RJ. None of them looked at O'Neill.

"RJ's not well," Lily said earnestly. "That's why Dr Suresh is here, he came to help."

"Dr Suresh is a geneticist. Based in New York. He specialises in genetic mutations, and your friend doesn't seem mutated to me." He took a couple of steps closer, ignoring Dominic's efforts to stop him. "Agitated, maybe, but not…"

"Stop!" Casey yelled, but too late. RJ lunged at O'Neill, shoving Fran straight into Theo; O'Neill hit the training mat and RJ came after, pinning him down and snarling at him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Ten

"Sam!" Daniel yelled in the general direction of the stairs, starting forward. Mohinder caught his arm to keep him in place, and while he shook the grip off he heeded the warning and stopped where he was.

Nathan closed a hand over Daniel's as he reached for his gun. "Don't," he said warningly. "Try it, and _they'll_ go for _you_."

Daniel looked past Jack and RJ, still frozen on the mat, and registered the kids' movements. Theo had bounced back to his feet, taking just enough time to be sure that Fran wasn't hurt before handing her over to Dominic. He'd then joined Casey and Lily at the edge of the mats; but where Lily was urging Jack to relax and show his throat, and Casey was desperately trying to get RJ to calm down and back off, Theo was watching the group by the stairs warily. Daniel recognised a guard position when he saw it.

Teal'c's zat powered up as he cleared the landing; Mohinder tried to step in his way, but he was brushed aside without hesitation.

"Daniel?" Sam had drawn her sidearm but she wasn't, thank goodness, aiming it at anyone in particular. "What's going on?"

Teal'c was demanding that RJ let go of Jack; Lily and Theo were both yelling for him to back off and give them a minute, and Casey was still talking at RJ, who was…well, it looked like he was sniffing Jack.

"Teal'c, stand down!" Daniel yelled, but Teal'c either didn't hear him or ignored him; he just repeated his demands, prompting a fresh wave of protests.

A piercing whistle sounded. Sam flinched, raising her gun, but Daniel pushed it back down as he turned towards Fran. Dominic was grimacing, shaking his head, but everyone had momentarily stopped yelling, at least.

"Ok," Daniel said quickly, before anyone could start. "Teal'c, you need to back up a little."

Teal'c didn't move until Sam said, "Do it," and even then he only took one very precise step back, letting the zat power down.

"Good," Daniel said anyway. "Jack, you ok?"

"Peachy," Jack breathed. RJ snarled, bearing down harder on him, and he choked in a breath.

"Casey," Daniel said urgently, "you have to get him to back off, or _we'll_ have to, and he won't like that."

"This isn't his fault," Lily protested.

"It's not the general's either," Sam pointed out. "Get him to back down, or we will."

Fran slipped past Dominic, kneeling beside Jack and reaching carefully towards RJ.

"Fran," Theo warned her.

"The wolf won't hurt me," she said calmly, gently touching his shoulder. RJ snapped half-heartedly at her; Jack breathed out a string of curses, and Teal'c stepped forward again, powering his zat.

"His teeth appear most misshapen, Daniel Jackson!"

"They're perfect for a wolf," Casey muttered. "Frannie, you ok?"

"I'm fine," she said serenely. Whatever she was doing seemed to be working; RJ was letting her guide him back, away from Jack.

"His hands are wrong, too," Sam said in Daniel's ear. Daniel nodded; RJ's hands were furred and totally the wrong shape.

"Don't move yet," Theo advised Jack as RJ finally backed totally off him. Fran urged him to a green recliner, carefully placed so that once he was sitting down, they couldn't see him.

Teal'c reached down to help Jack to his feet; Sam holstered her weapon, joining them and inspecting the shallow scrapes on his neck.

"I'm fine," Jack said, touching the back of his head gingerly. "That's gonna leave a mark, though. Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"Porphyria," Mohinder blurted.

"He thinks he's a werewolf?"

"Actually, Jack, that would be lycanthropy," Daniel told him.

"No, the general's right," Sam said. "Porphyria is an enzyme deficiency leading to extra hair, occasional misshapen limbs and sometimes neurological damage. Could account for this."

Daniel could see Casey and the others relaxing a little; Fran was still standing by the chair, guarding it carefully.

On impulse, he crossed the floor, deliberately taking a path that would put him in RJ's line of sight. "RJ?" he asked carefully, hesitating just out of reach.

"Present," RJ said with a sigh. Teeth and hands were normal and the anger and agitation had gone, replaced with a vague air of embarrassment.

"My name is Daniel Jackson, I'm an anthropologist, and I work with Jack—with General O'Neill, trying to avoid situations like the one we've just had."

"Good job," Theo said, just loud enough to be heard. Daniel ignored him easily, watching RJ.

"How did you hurt your hands?" he asked carefully.

"I fell," RJ said. Daniel could see Fran shift beside the chair, obviously uncomfortable.

"Looks like some fall." Daniel slowly eased down to hunker beside the chair; he could hear Jack cursing softly, knowing that RJ could get to him before any of them could stop him if he decided to. "Porphyria?" he asked.

"No."

"No," Daniel agreed. "Dr Suresh," he said, raising his voice a little without turning around, "do you have any theories yet?"

"Theories, yes, but no answers. I need to run some tests."

"You didn't come because of me," RJ said, meeting Daniel's gaze for the first time.

"No. We were looking for Dr Suresh. A friend of ours was killed, and he has custody of a witness."

Mohinder straightened behind him. "What?" he asked indignantly.

"Mollie Walker?" Jack said.

"Mollie's away at school, she hasn't seen anything!"

"Not this specific murder," Sam assured him. "But she is the only witness in the Sylar murders."

"Sylar…" Mohinder started, and then caught himself. "Mollie has given her statement several times. I suggest you look it up. She'll have nothing new to tell you."

"Dr Suresh, we're really going to have to insist that you come with us," Sam said apologetically. "We have several questions that you may be able to answer."

Nathan jerked suddenly, stepping forward. "You can't arrest him, he hasn't done anything wrong," he said loudly, moving away from Mohinder towards the centre of the room.

"I'm sorry, you are…?" Jack asked.

"Nathan Petrelli, Junior Senator for New York."

"I thought you were a lawyer!"

"I was. I served under the DA."

"Prosecutor?" Sam asked warily. "You served in the Forces, didn't you?"

"Navy," Nathan agreed. "I flew in Bosnia."

Daniel glanced at RJ, who was watching Mohinder. He turned to follow his gaze, realising only then that everyone else was watching Nathan and Mohinder had slipped unobserved to the side of the loft…

And then he shimmered out of sight, vanishing before Daniel could say anything.

* * *

Chylea: Sorry, but I love me my cliffhangers. That's not the last one you'll get. ::looks upwards for emphasis:: :D


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Eleven

"Marco."

"_Another lab?_" Rodney said. "_You don't have much imagination, do you?_"

"It's kind of hard to find anywhere that isn't a lab, Rodney," John pointed out. "Anyway, you could be guessing."

"_Section three, level six-alpha. Have to do better than that._"

John grimaced, heading back towards the transporter and muting the radio. "Alice, is there anywhere the sensors aren't working?"

"Some of the flood-damaged areas, down in the lowest levels. He'll see you go down there, though."

"Yes, but he won't know where I am."

"I can alter the display he's using, if that's all you want."

"No," John said firmly. "That would be cheating."

Alice frowned, stepping into the transporter with him. The suggested level was already flashing; John tapped it to get them going.

"Asking me for one kind of help is cheating, but another kind of help is not?"

"Right," John agreed without really listening.

"Human morals are tricky things," she said thoughtfully. "How do you decide what is acceptable and what isn't?"

The transporter hummed open and John stepped out, glancing around. "Which way?"

"To your left, down two levels, west hallway."

"Thanks." He grinned as he started out. "What's McKay doing?"

"Looking very confused, and complaining about his staff. Again."

"Oh, shoot. Is Zelenka still there?"

"He is keeping his head down and making agreeing noises. How do you decide?"

John frowned, running back through the conversation. "Decide what?"

"What behaviours are acceptable and what aren't."

John scrambled down the ladder, meeting her at the bottom. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Asking me for one form of help is acceptable," she said patiently, following him along the corridor. "Asking me for another, even if I offer it, is not. How do you decide?"

"You just kind of know. I'm trying to beat Rodney, but I want it to be my win. You're suggesting where to go but I'm still putting in the effort, see? If you messed up his readings it'd just be winning by default."

"I see," Alice said slowly. "In that case, stop." She gestured to a door. "Scanners are damaged in that section. They will bounce your signal to the next working set, two corridors over."

John grinned, stepping forward and opening the door. He wandered halfway down the corridor before tapping his radio. "Rodney, you still there?"

"_Of course I'm here, where else would I be?"_

"I don't know, might have given up and gone for lunch," John said easily. "Marco."

"_Section seven, sub-level three-gamma."_

"Ooh, I'm sorry. That's incorrect, but you do win our lovely runner up prize."

"_What? That's where you are!_"

"No, it's not." John grinned, leaning against the wall. "Marco."

"_Seven three gamma!_"

"Nope. Give up yet?"

"_Don't move_," Rodney ordered.

"Oh, don't worry. It's quite comfortable here. You do what you're doing. I'll just hang out and wait for you to give up."

"I think you're making him angry," Alice remarked from the head of the corridor.

John flicked the mic off. "Good. He works best when he's angry."

"He works best when he's scared," Alice corrected him.

"Well, angry is second. Warn me if he's getting anywhere, will you?"

"It's a hardware problem, not software. He can't fix it from there."

John grinned, sliding down to sit comfortably against the wall. "Good."

***

"Did you know that was going to happen?" Daniel murmured.

"Everything happens sometime."

"That's not exactly what I asked."

"Where the hell did he go?" Jack demanded, turning in a tight circle. Sam had pulled her gun again, though she still wasn't aiming it at anyone, and Teal'c was watching Nathan closely.

The kids, realising that Jack was a little distracted, came to gather around RJ; Daniel obligingly stepped out of their way, joining Sam.

"Mr Petrelli?" he asked politely.

"I don't know where Mohinder is," Nathan said easily.

"Do you know what happened?" Jack asked over-politely.

Daniel thought he would have missed the hesitation if he hadn't been watching Nathan. "No."

"Any theories?" Daniel asked.

"No," Nathan lied.

"Are you sure?"

"I've told you I don't know where he is. I am a United States senator, you know."

"You should be used to people questioning you, then," Jack said absently. "Daniel, c'mere."

Daniel very carefully didn't react to the scuffling sounds as he walked to the stairs, or to the sight of Dominic wandering across, apparently casually, to whisper urgently to Nathan.

"Nathan's lying," he said quietly as he joined Jack on the landing. "He knows what happened. And I'm pretty sure Mohinder's still here—he moved out of my way."

"Yeah. I haven't heard him go past, and the kids are too close to the other door for anyone to get out that way." He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Yeah. Some. Nathan Petrelli has the Meta mutation, no known manifestation."

"Nathan didn't do anything."

"Not that we saw," Daniel agreed. "But Mohinder doesn't have it. Someone did something to make him vanish."

"Is there any chance of you actually leaving?" Theo demanded from just below them. "We've got our own problems, and since you're looking for Dr Suresh who—oh look!—isn't here, maybe you could go look somewhere else?"

"Yeah. I'd like to leave," Nathan agreed. "I have a constituency to get back to."

"T?" Jack called, holding up a hand. Teal'c powered down the zat, throwing it across the loft.

Daniel could see Casey eye it, could almost hear him weighing the pros and cons of snatching it, but he obviously decided against it. The zat landed in Jack's hand and he powered it back up.

"By the stairs?" he murmured.

"Yeah. Be careful, if you miss you'll hit the kids."

Jack glared at him, firing with barely a look. The energy outlined two bodies; Mohinder fell, but the second, a dark haired man, shook it off.

"Hey!" Nathan yelled, taking a step forward. Teal'c blocked him, catching Sam's arm and drawing her back a couple of steps.

Jack glanced down at the zat, shrugged, and fired again. The dark haired man fell back half a step, catching the energy and gathering it in one hand.

In the sudden silence, Dominic's muttered "I thought he couldn't come in here," was clearly audible.

"Nathan," the man said almost impatiently.

Nathan shook free of Teal'c, crouching beside Mohinder to check his pulse. Twisting to look at Daniel, he demanded, "What did you do?"

"Stunned him," Daniel said quickly. "That's all. He'll be fine in a few minutes."

Nathan nodded, glancing up at the other man, who was looking towards RJ. "Wolf," he said, smiling faintly.

"Chameleon," RJ answered, inclining his head.

"City on the water?"

"I'll be there. Apparently."

Daniel could see dawning realisation on Casey's face; whatever was going on, he knew more about it than the others did.

Mohinder stirred and the stranger crouched beside him, flicking the zat energy away without seeming to think about it. He touched Mohinder's shoulder, reaching across him to grip Nathan's arm.

"Wait!" Daniel protested, but they'd already vanished.

***

"I can't believe they shot at us," Nathan muttered, pacing back and forth along the landing.

"They didn't shoot at you."

"You shouldn't have even risked that!"

Peter didn't look up from where he was checking Mohinder's pupils. "He was in control. It wasn't dangerous."

"They're going to come looking for us. Did you have to talk to RJ?"

"How do you know RJ?" Mohinder added.

"I dreamed about him. Can you move your neck?"

"I told you, I'm fine." He twisted his neck anyway. "See? No concussion."

"What kind of weapon was that, anyway?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. Lucky it was close enough to electricity I could handle it." Peter sat back, away from Mohinder. "Near as I can tell, you're fine."

"Thank you." Mohinder turned away, digging the blood sample out of his bag.

"Is that really the priority right now?" Nathan demanded.

"What would you suggest? Running? I might have some success with that, but you would not."

"That's what you get for going into politics," Peter said brightly, leaning over Mohinder's shoulder.

"This will take a little time," Mohinder told him pointedly. "Why don't you go and check on our young friends?"

"Better not, not without making sure it's safe," Nathan said quickly. "RJ was pretty out of it, on and off."

"Yeah, I caught bits of it." Peter moved away, staring at the paintings.

"What about O'Neill and the others? Did you get anything from them?"

"Not from the big one. The one who was holding onto you? I couldn't hear him at all. The younger one…"

"Daniel," Mohinder offered.

"He was just worried about anyone getting hurt. And he figured out what was happening, more or less. The older man…"

"O'Neill," Nathan said quietly.

"Hmm. As soon as Mohinder vanished he labelled us threat-to-team. He wasn't really worried about us before that." He stared past the painting for a moment before shaking it off, turning back to them. "What about RJ, did he tell you anything?"

"A bit. They're some kind of kung fu monks, and they thought his manifestation was part of his training."

"He seems to perceive the wolf as a separate entity," Mohinder added. "He doesn't consider it part of himself, and it's only nominally under his control."

"Jessica fought Niki for months," Peter said thoughtfully. "Isaac couldn't paint on his own. What's triggering the wolf?"

"Threat-to-team." Nathan shrugged lightly. "Or threat-to-home, maybe. The kids thought they could talk him down, but Fran was the only one who could actually do it."

"Fran," Peter repeated quietly. "Why her?"

"Because she was neither afraid, nor a threat." Mohinder sat back away from the microscope, scrubbing at his eyes. "RJ carries both the Meta mutation and the second sequence, but it's breaking down. His powers seem to be out of control because they are; they can't manifest fully because the second sequence keeps blocking them."

"This is like the Shanti virus?" Nathan asked.

"Something like, yes, but aimed at this second sequence rather than the Meta mutation."

"Aimed," Peter repeated. "You think someone did this?"

"I don't know. I can't see any sign of a pathogen or contagion. It's as if the genes simply wore out."

"Genes don't wear out," Nathan pointed out.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, thank you," Mohinder said dryly.

His phone rang.

***

***

***

Chylea: Sorry! I gotta go where the muse points me. :)

Casus17: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying. This is set in an alternate Heroes season three: Everything up to the end of season Two happened, and then Nathan got better. It's somewhere roughly around season 10 of SG1, season 2 of SGA, and post Jungle Fury. Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

"Ok, that is just not cool," Jack complained, sweeping the zat through the empty space in the centre of the room. "Who was that guy?"

Casey glanced at Dominic, but neither spoke.

"Dominic?" Daniel asked, coming towards them. Casey stifled a groan; he genuinely liked Daniel, who was trying really hard not to let anyone get hurt. But there was no way to tell him the truth, even if he'd been sure what that was.

"You know who he was?" Daniel pushed.

"He was hanging around outside earlier," Dominic said carelessly. "I don't know who he is. Never seen him before."

"I've seen him before." RJ rose to his feet, stepping between Theo and Fran. "In a dream. In the city on the water."

"You said that before, the city on the water."

"He said it."

"What does it mean?"

"It's our terrorist hideout," Theo snapped, frustrated. "What do you think it means? It's a city that floats, like a ship."

"A city that floats like a ship," Daniel repeated, glancing up to catch Jack's eye.

"You saw this city, and this man, in a dream?" Sam asked.

"I was asleep at the time," RJ said thoughtfully.

"Jonas saw the future, sir."

"Jonas had a _brain tumour_. He doesn't count."

"Do you know where this city is?" Daniel asked.

"No. Never seen it before."

"You called him chameleon."

"He called me wolf. It seemed polite to respond in kind."

"Why a chameleon?" Sam asked curiously.

"Why not?"

Jack snorted impatiently. "Mr James…"

"RJ."

"I don't think you realise how serious this is. When we find those men they'll be detained under the terrorist act."

"You can't do that, they didn't attack you," Lily protested.

"Sort of the point, Lil," Casey said grimly. "RJ _did_ attack him."

"It's not his fault!"

"They didn't attack you," RJ said, ignoring their protests.

Jack glanced around the group. "Accomplices."

"Jack, come on," Daniel protested.

"We don't even know your friend," Theo told him. "Dr Suresh came to us, we didn't go looking for him."

"And you can't take RJ, he's not well enough," Casey added.

"We'll take _really_ good care of him. Room of his own, food when we remember, lots of water…scratching post…"

"Jack!"

Jack yanked him to one side, grip almost painfully tight on his arm. "They're connected. Ok? It's not a coincidence that Suresh followed Joe's death here."

"They don't know anything. And Casey's right, you can't take RJ anywhere."

"We need them," Jack insisted.

"Sir, a compromise?" Sam suggested. Without waiting for his answer she turned to the kids. "Can you contact Dr Suresh?"

"No," Dominic said without hesitation.

"RJ's in trouble, then," Jack said mildly.

Dominic hesitated, looking at the others. "I…"

"We can't contact Mohinder," RJ said, taking a step forward.

"And if we could, we wouldn't hand him over to you," Fran added from behind him.

"He's not in trouble," Daniel said patiently. "We're just trying to find out why Joe died."

"Which is why you bust in here and shoot people," Lily agreed.

"That's…"

"Jack," Daniel said warningly.

"We just want to know what he found out," Sam said patiently. "We're not going to arrest him."

"You'll let him help RJ?" Casey demanded.

"Absolutely," Sam agreed over protests from the other kids.

"Dom," Casey said. Dominic didn't move and the younger boy turned enough to glare at him. "_Dominic."_

Daniel frowned. That was the voice of a leader expecting to be obeyed; he'd heard the same tone in Jack's voice too many times to remember. He'd pegged RJ as the leader, or maybe Theo; he couldn't understand why Casey, the youngest in the group, seemed to be in charge.

Dominic pulled a phone out of his pocket. "They came to help us," he said quietly, staring at it.

Casey didn't answer, holding out a hand for the phone; Dominic dialled, turning his back on the other boy.

"Dr Suresh? It's Dom."

"_Dominic, it's Peter._"

"Yes, I know I said I wouldn't call you, but something's come up."

***

Peter frowned, catching Nathan's eye. "Are you in trouble, Dominic?"

"_Yes, I'm sorry. Those military guys are still here. They want to talk to you about RJ, and about Joe Spencer._" He laughed softly. "_They've promised not to arrest you."_

Peter shook his head. "I'm not worried about that, they couldn't hold us. What about Nathan?"

"_No, they're a little impatient._" More faintly, he added, "_He'll hang up if you take the phone from me, General._"

"Dominic, how's RJ?"

"_I don't think that's a good idea,_" Dominic said, answering Peter's unspoken question.

"Hang on." Tilting the phone away, he summarized quickly, "They want Mohinder, but they've promised not to arrest him. I can't go in, though."

Mohinder sighed. "I will go."

"Is that smart?" Nathan asked.

"We can't hide, Nathan. You and I are relatively public figures, and if they search they will find Peter. He's not anonymous." He glanced at Peter. "I will go, and if they attempt to spirit me away…"

"I'll be outside. They won't get far." He lifted the phone again. "Listen, Dominic, we're going to be…"

"_It's Dr Jackson, Dr Suresh._" Peter heard the faint emphasis on Mohinder's name, understanding that Daniel was speaking for someone else's benefit.

"Mohinder's coming. He'll be with you in a few minutes. And, Dr Jackson? So will I. You won't see me, but I'll there, and if you touch him or those kids…"

"_I believe you,_" Daniel agreed. "_Do you know what's wrong with RJ?_"

Peter caught Mohinder's eye, gesturing to the computer. "We know what's wrong with him. We don't know how to help him, yet. And we think Joe Spencer had the same condition, just not as advanced."

"_That's why we need to talk to you._" The sound went muffled for a moment before he added, "_Jack won't leave until you get here.__"_

"We're coming now." Peter snapped the phone closed, tossing it to Nathan. "Dump that. We'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

***

"John. _John!_"

"What?" John protested, sitting up straighter. He was pretty sure he hadn't been asleep, but he was definitely more sluggish than he should have been.

"Put your radio back on," Alice said from the head of the corridor. "Rodney's giving up."

John grinned, looping his radio back over his ear. "Marco."

"_Yes, very funny,_" Rodney snapped. "_You realise the problem is hardware? My program works fine._"

"Keep telling yourself that, Rodney," John said easily, starting back towards the lab. "Well, I guess that makes me the winner."

"_Oh, come on! I found you four times!_"

"And missed me once. It only takes once, you know."

"_Where are you?_"

"What, you think I'm going to give up that easy?"

"_Your signal just jumped two sectors. Where are you?_"

Catching the worry in his tone, John reeled off his location.

"_Ok. That matches what we have._"

"I'm at the transporter. I'll be back to the lab in a minute."

His radio clicked, automatically switching channels. "_Colonel Shepard?_"

He halted in the door of the transporter, ignoring Alice's glare. "Yeah, Elizabeth."

"_If you're quite done playing with Rodney, I'd like to see you both."_

He grinned, clearly hearing the amusement in her voice. "I'll grab him on my way. With you in a minute."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Thirteen

"I'll be listening," Peter said again.

"Yes, I remember," Mohinder agreed. "Don't worry." He flicked through the printouts in his hand, making sure he had everything.

Sam was waiting just inside; she couldn't see Peter from where he was standing, but she hadn't made any effort to hurry Mohinder along. When he finally stepped inside he was careful to hold the door open for longer than he needed to, mentally smiling at her glance around.

"No soldiers?" he asked, making a show of looking around.

"No soldiers. Just us."

Mohinder headed straight for the stairs, stifling a grin when he saw her glance around again before following him.

Dominic met him at the head of the stairs. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. They'd have found me." He looked past him at RJ. "How are you doing?"

RJ glanced around the room. "I feel very—popular."

Mohinder smiled, turning away to look at Jack. "General."

"Doctor."

"What's wrong with RJ?" Casey demanded.

"I think I should discuss that with RJ," Mohinder said carefully.

RJ looked around at his team. "They don't seem to be moving," he observed. "Maybe you should talk anyway."

Mohinder sighed, shuffling through his papers. "I really think you should hear this in private, Mr James."

"RJ," he said patiently. "My name is RJ."

"They're not going anywhere," Casey added, lifting his chin towards O'Neill and the others.

Mohinder glanced at them. "Yes, well."

RJ gestured vaguely. "I think you should go ahead."

"If you're certain." Mohinder pulled out one of the papers, staring at it without seeing it. "RJ, I found two specific sequences in your DNA. One is known as the Meta mutation."

Across the room Sam straightened. Mohinder hesitated, looking over at her, but she just raised one hand in apology and he turned back to RJ.

"The Meta mutation has been known to grant…abilities, to those who hold it."

"Like your friends," RJ noted.

"Yes. The second sequence is not one I'm very familiar with; it's present in only a tiny proportion of the population, and even less have both sequences. This second sequence seems to block the Meta mutation, but in you, for no reason I've been able to find yet, it's breaking down. Your Meta abilities are attempting to manifest, but because this second sequence is partially working, they cannot establish themselves."

RJ nodded slowly, and then shook his head. "No."

"No?" Mohinder repeated.

"Dr Suresh, may I see the genetic profile for the second sequence?" Sam asked.

Mohinder frowned, finding the right sheet and offering it to her. "It's present in only a very small proportion of people."

"Yes," Sam said absently, studying it. "ATA, sir," she said, looking back at O'Neill.

"How did you find out about this?" he demanded.

"It's on Joe Spencer's genetic makeup."

"Yes, but why would you look at his genetic makeup?" Sam asked.

"Sylar kills only people with the Meta mutation. And this sequence blocks the Meta so completely it's not detected on the standard tests. Joe Spencer did not manifest, nor show any signs, but it had to be there."

Daniel murmured something too low for Mohinder to hear, adding out loud, "How does the ATA break down?"

"You're familiar with this sequence?" Mohinder asked.

"We knew Joe had it," Sam said slowly, still studying the genetic profile. "We weren't aware until recently that it would block the Meta mutation."

"Wait a minute," Dominic said suddenly. "If RJ has this mutation…"

"Fran has neither genetic trait. There are no records for the rest of you."

"There wouldn't be, I guess," Theo muttered. Catching Mohinder's look, he added, "Very strict boarding school."

"Jack, Carson Beckett might be able to help," Daniel said quietly.

"Carson Beckett is unavailable," O'Neill reminded him sharply. "Dr Suresh?"

"I've barely begun to study this sequence. I can't even begin to guess why it's breaking down, let alone begin to repair it." Looking across at RJ, he added, "I'm sorry."

RJ shrugged. "The universe will provide. Or I'll become a wolf and not care. Either way…"

"That's what the Meta mutation is doing? Turning him into a wolf?" O'Neill demanded.

"Hello?" Casey said. "Where've you been for the past half hour? He tried to bite you! Did you think that was for fun?"

"Actual wolf? We're talkin' fur, teeth, all of it?"

"I haven't quite gone that far yet," RJ said mildly. "Not this time. But that's the general idea."

"Did you think it was metaphorical?" Lily asked curiously.

"It's unusual to see a physical manifestation," Mohinder explained. "I've seen several different powers manifest, and few of them left physical signs."

"Lucky me." RJ held up a hand, studying it curiously. "No fur," he said, apparently to himself.

"Dr Suresh, you were able to track people with both these sequences?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I found several. There's a large population here in California, statistically improbable." Mohinder shuffled through the sheets, pulling out another one to hand her. Sam glanced at it, passing it off to O'Neill. "The Meta mutation tends to run in families, though it often appears randomly, but I've found no way to account for this…ATA. It seems to appear totally randomly."

"It does," she agreed. "We've found no way to predict where it might appear."

"Carter, we need to get back to base," O'Neill said abruptly. He was staring at the sheet she'd given him, but he looked up to meet her gaze. "Fast. Dr Suresh, coming?"

Mohinder glanced back at RJ, frowning. "Can you provide…"

"Everything we know about the ATA, yes," Sam agreed.

"_Sam!_"

"Sir, Dr Suresh _found_ the ATA. By _accident_." She raised an eyebrow.

"Dr Suresh has already been approached to join the project and refused."

Daniel took a sudden step forward. "Dr Suresh, what about…" He glanced back at the stairs.

"Oh. Yes. I'll go and warn him."

"Warn who?" O'Neill asked warily.

"His bodyguard came along," Daniel said absently.

"What, the…" O'Neill made a vague gesture that could have been anything. "Your bodyguard?"

"He's not my bodyguard," Mohinder corrected him. "Simply a concerned friend."

"That makes it so much better," he muttered. "Let's go talk to him, then, we're in a hurry."

Mohinder didn't bother to argue, taking his papers back from Sam and leading the way downstairs. The courtyard appeared empty; he could almost feel O'Neill's eye roll when he said quietly, "We're leaving."

Peter shimmered into view against the far wall, electricity already dancing in his palm. "Are we?"

"They've agreed to give me access to their research on the second sequence. It may be what I need to save RJ, and any of the others who are going through this."

"Is RJ going?"

Mohinder blinked, glancing back at O'Neill. "I don't believe so."

"Alright." He let the electricity in his palm vanish, shimmering out of view again.

"Dramatic guy, isn't he?" O'Neill said conversationally.

"You knew about the Meta mutation already."

"Are we that obvious?"

"None of you were surprised. And you spoke about a precog…a man who could see the future."

"He wasn't Meta; that was artificially induced. Your father wasn't exactly subtle, Dr Suresh. And yes, we knew about the mutation. We've seen plenty of evidence for it." He halted Mohinder with a hand on his arm. "We're not the bad guys here, Dr Suresh. We have different concerns, is all."

"I'd very much like to believe that, General O'Neill."

"Jack."

"Jack." Mohinder smiled faintly. "Mohinder."

***

Carson was already in Elizabeth's office when they reached it; Rodney dropped into the second seat, leaving John to lean against the wall by the door.

"SGC believe they may have a lead," Elizabeth said. "They've asked Dr Beckett to remain on standby, but we're authorised to resume 'Gate missions."

John's fervent 'Thank God' was almost quiet enough to be missed.

"What's the lead?" he added quickly, before any of them could comment.

"Joe Spencer had both the Meta mutation and the ATA. There's a Dr Suresh, the leading expert on Meta, and, as it happens, guardian to the only witness to the Sylar murders. In tracking him down, they came across a gentleman named…" Elizabeth hesitated, studying the screen in front of her. "Robert James. He also has both genetic traits, but the ATA seems to be breaking down, and his Meta is manifesting unpredictably. Dr Suresh has agreed to accompany SG1 back to the SGC to access their research…your research, Carson…on the ATA, in exchange for full co operation on the Sylar investigation."

"Does he have clearance?" John asked, frowning.

She shook her head. "They don't intend to reveal the Stargate unless they have to. Carson, your research?"

"SGC is up to date. I send everything I have with each data burst."

"Good. Thank you. Please stay available; they may need to consult with you."

"Aye."

She looked back at John and Rodney. "I've sent a 'Jumper to recall Teyla and Ronon. You can go on the next mission on the list; it's scheduled for tomorrow morning. Rodney, the scanners?"

"Are fine," Rodney said quickly, glaring at John.

"Except for the couple sectors where they're not," John said. "But that's hardware, not software. The program's fine. Should come in handy."

"Zelenka's already working on the scanners in those sectors," Rodney added. "They'll be working again before we leave."

"Make sure of it," Elizabeth said. "Dismissed."

***

"You can come with us," Daniel offered.

"No thanks."

"You promised you'd let Dr Suresh help him," Lily said accusingly.

"We are. But we have the most up to date research on the ATA. It's easier to bring Dr Suresh to it rather than bring it to him," Sam explained. "Not to mention most of it is classified."

"Good thing I'm a General," Jack agreed from the stairs. "Ready, campers?"

Daniel nodded, looking back at RJ. "We'll be back."

"Looking forward to it."

"You have the number, Casey?"

"Daniel!" Jack said impatiently. "They have the number, they're alright, let's go."

Daniel grimaced, shrugging apologetically to the kids and following Sam downstairs.

"Is Peter coming?" he murmured to Mohinder.

"Probably." Mohinder shrugged. "I can't see him any more than you can."

"We really shouldn't let him on base."

"Peter has his own sense of morality. He won't leave if he thinks there's a chance I'll have trouble."

"I don't suppose he'd take a promise?"

"You're welcome to try."

"Daniel?" Sam called from the courtyard entrance.

"We're coming," Daniel said automatically, gesturing Mohinder on.

***

Author's note: I know, I'm late! Sorry. I unexpectedly went away for the weekend, no internet, so I was unable to update! Sorry about that.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Thirteen

"RJ, you Ok?" Fran asked.

"I'm fine, Frannie. No fur, no urge to bite anything…except maybe some food. I'm hungry."

"Oh! I never finished the pizza! I'm sorry, I'll go get it now. Dom, help me?"

"Sure." Dominic followed her downstairs.

"Your hands are getting worse," Lily noted quietly.

"Yeah." RJ held them up, studying them. The purple colour was deepening, and both hands and wrists were covered to halfway up his forearms. "Can you…my bracelet's catching."

"Yeah." Lily studied it for a moment before touching him, trying to put as little pressure as possible on him. "Feels hot," she murmured as the knot loosened, falling away in her hand.

"Um." RJ took the bracelet, looping it around her wrist and tying it loosely.

Something crashed downstairs and he sighed, glancing around. "Why don't you two go rescue Dom and Fran?"

Lily smiled faintly, catching Theo's hand and pulling him after her.

"And Casey…" RJ turned, sighing. Casey was standing under the kitchen railing, arms folded and head down. The others had been ignoring him as much as possible since he'd over ridden RJ and made Dominic call Mohinder.

"Mohinder doesn't need protection," he said now, still staring at his feet. "Or at least, he has protection. He doesn't need it from us."

"And I do?"

Casey didn't answer, but he did look up to meet RJ's eyes.

"Not easy to stop being Red Ranger, is it?" RJ said with a sigh.

"Threat-to-team. I can't help it."

"Yeah. I understand. Threat-to-student's not any easier to ignore."

"Great. So you're Ok with it, but the others hate me."

"They'll come around. Even as Rangers you didn't push your authority much. They're probably surprised."

"Mohinder was safe. You weren't. It wasn't hard." He laughed softly. "I was surprised Dom did it. Sixth Ranger."

"Dom wasn't really a Sixth."

"Nice to know you have faith in me," Dominic said from directly above them. Casey twisted out from under the railing, turning to glare at him; RJ didn't move, mildly amused.

"Sixth Ranger's the loose cannon, right?" Dominic continued, coming down the stairs.

"Usually," RJ agreed.

"Dom was fifth," Lily said from behind Dominic, carrying the pizza carefully. Theo and Fran were behind her with glasses and drinks.

"Sixth is a description, not a numerical," Dominic told her. "Most Ranger teams start out with…it used to be five; lately it's often been three. The extra Ranger is the Sixth."

"RJ wasn't a Ranger at first either."

"That's true." Dominic grinned, settling on the nearest stool. "Maybe you're the Sixth, RJ."

"Loose cannon?" Theo said disbelievingly, passing a glass to Lily.

"And the Spirit Rangers?" Casey pointed out.

"Yeah, they're new." Dominic shrugged. "Eighth Rangers?"

"Catchy." Casey raised his pizza in salute.

***

Cam tapped on Sam's door. "How's the good doctor settling in?"

"Pretty good." She shoved back away from her desk. "I mean, considering he's basically making up a new branch of medical science to deal with this."

"I thought you had Doc Beckett on the line."

"We do, but Dr Beckett is an expert in the ATA. Mohinder's expert in the Meta mutation. Neither of them have any experience at how the two intersect." Cam shook his head, and she sighed. "It's like…you can hotwire a car, and I can hotwire a glider. If we came across a combination of the two…"

"Neither of us could do it. Ok."

"Oh, I could do it. It would just take longer."

He laughed softly. "How's he getting on with Dr Lam?"

"Surprisingly well. Possibly because she admitted straight off that she knows little about the ATA and less about Meta. He seems to enjoy having someone to lecture to."

"Maybe I'll go listen in."

"I wouldn't, Cam."

He winced. "Beyond me, huh?"

"Little bit, yeah. Plus, the more distractions, the slower the work goes, so…"

"Right. He given us anything useful on Sylar?"

"He believes he may be Meta. We pulled Mollie Walker's medical records and she carries the mutation, and we know Sylar only kills Meta."

"She inherited it."

"Right. Mohinder is adamant that either she hasn't manifested or he hasn't seen her use her ability, whatever it is. He thinks Sylar's ability may be how he commits these crimes without leaving any evidence behind."

"Has he any proof?"

"Nothing that he's willing to share. He did give us a tape of a conversation between his father and Sylar, but it doesn't give us anything and it's dated well before Mohinder left India."

Cam came in further, glancing at the corridor behind him. "What about this guy, the not a bodyguard?"

"The dark haired man? Don't know. He's obviously Meta, but we haven't been able to find out who he is. Mohinder won't discuss him, he won't even tell us if he's here."

"Wait…you mean, here, on base?"

"He turns invisible, Cam. He could be anywhere." She grinned at Cam's instinctive look around the lab. "Don't worry. If he is on base, he'll be down with Mohinder…the whole point is that he wants to protect him."

"That's comforting, Sam, thanks." Cam made a face at her. "Atlantis starting their missions back up?"

"They were due to." She glanced automatically at her watch. "I'm not sure if they have or not…I've lost track of their days."

"Don't think I ever _had_ track of their days. Alright, well, keep me updated."

"As soon as he finds anything, Cam, you'll know. Aren't you going out with SG 14?"

"Tomorrow, yeah. Want me to hang around?"

"No," she said, so quickly she almost overlapped him. "We'll call you if we have any trouble."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Fifteen

Three levels further down Mohinder was working quietly in the lab they'd given him. Dr Lam had left briefly, assuring him that there was a guard outside "in case you need anything."

Peter was standing in one corner, arms folded. The camera was directly over his head and couldn't see him; normally the lab was covered by two, but the second had suffered an electrical surge shortly after Mohinder had begun work, and on Daniel's advice it hadn't been repaired yet. Mohinder had been careful, while the others were around, to talk to himself as he worked, so the camera was picking up nothing unusual now.

"Well?" he asked, carefully preparing the next slide.

"Everything's centred around something down on level 28. I didn't go down, too many people around."

"You didn't hear anything?"

"I haven't been trying. There's too many people around, I can't listen to them and stay invisible."

"I see." Mohinder leaned over the microscope, making a note. "Well, I'm sure we'll find out. Perhaps we could ask."

"Yeah, that'd work," Peter muttered. Stiffening suddenly, he added, "Maybe it would. Daniel's coming."

Mohinder lifted an eyebrow when he didn't vanish, but he didn't speak, only turned back to the microscope. Daniel knocked before coming in, checking slightly on seeing Peter but closing the door without alerting the guard.

"You did come. We weren't sure."

Peter lifted one shoulder. "Didn't have anything better to do. What's on level 28?"

Daniel shook his head. "If you go down there, they'll find a way to catch you. Be careful. Dr Suresh, I came to see if you've eaten yet."

"One of the nurses brought something a while ago, thank you."

"Peter?"

Peter shook his head. "I'm fine. Stop looking at me."

"We are trying to keep him a secret," Mohinder added mildly. "So to speak."

"Right." Daniel looked down at the files on the desk. "Are you having any luck?"

"I've only a basic sense of how the ATA works, yet. I need more time."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. Not unless you can tell me what the enzymes it produces actually do…they seem to have no effect, from what I can tell."

"They didn't…" Daniel cut himself off, frowning.

"The files seem to have been sanitized before being given to me," Mohinder said pointedly. "Several references are missing, and there are whole sections that make no sense now."

"It's a security matter," he said apologetically. "Some of that information is classified."

"If you want to know why Sylar killed Joe Spencer, you'll have to tell us what the ATA does," Peter said. "We can't find out otherwise."

Daniel sighed, glancing at the door. "I can try," he offered.

Peter turned to Mohinder. "Something about alien technology."

"Aliens?" Mohinder laughed softly. "That's a new one."

Daniel blinked, looking from Mohinder to Peter and back. "Peter, are you telepathic?"

"Sometimes."

"That doesn't make sense. Meta mutants have one ability. I've seen at least three in you."

"We don't like the term Meta mutants," Peter said mildly. "It's derogatory."

"Peter and Sylar are special cases," Mohinder added. "Each of their core abilities allows them to use other abilities."

"You know who Sylar is," Daniel breathed.

Mohinder glanced at Peter. "We've met, yes."

"His real name is Gabriel Grey," Peter said slowly. "He used to work in a clock shop in Queens. He inherited it from his father. But he's not Gabriel any more. He hasn't been for a long time."

"Sylar kills for his abilities," Mohinder added. "Peter only needs to be near another Meta as they use their power."

"Not always. Long enough exposure to a passive power, I can pick that up too. I got Nathan's that way."

"Nathan Petrelli?" Daniel said. "What power would that be?"

"Maybe not," Mohinder said pointedly.

"What's Sylar's ability?"

"He sees how things work. When he looks at another Meta he can see how they use their powers and adjust his own genes to match. It's a conscious process. Peter is empathic. He picks up powers without any intent, like a sponge."

"Or a chameleon," Daniel realised. "That's why RJ…You change yourself to match them."

Peter nodded. "Usually I need to know what the power is to use it. A couple of times I've done it instinctively, but mostly I need to concentrate on it."

"I see." Daniel sat back, sighing. "So Sylar killed Joe for whatever his Meta power was."

Peter glanced at Mohinder, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps," Mohinder said reluctantly. "There is another possibility."

"Oh?"

"Sylar killed a Meta called Isaac Mendez. Isaac was precognitive and he expressed his power through paintings. Peter has Isaac's powers and he painted Sylar killing Joe…too late to do anything about it, unfortunately…and all three of us on the city on the water."

"The city on the water," Daniel repeated with a sigh. "These paintings…"

"They always come true," Peter told him. "They don't always mean what you think they do, but they've never been wrong."

"There was a series that predicted the death of a young girl, a cheerleader," Mohinder added. "Every event depicted happened, but she did not die."

"What did your pictures show?" Daniel asked, looking at Peter for a moment before glancing back at Mohinder's work.

"The city. Mohinder, in a lab we assume was there. Me, and Sylar, on a balcony overlooking the main tower. And Sylar with Joe, with that patch in the corner." He gestured to Daniel's shoulder patch. "We couldn't track the patch; we kept coming up with Project Blue Book."

Daniel nodded. "That's the cover. It's designed to be hackable, just about."

"And what is it you actually do here, Dr Jackson?" Mohinder asked.

"We've told you everything you wanted to know," Peter reminded him when he hesitated. "And we need to know about the ATA if we're going to help RJ."

"Why do you need to ask me? Can't you just pick it out of my head?"

"I read thoughts, not minds. Unless you're thinking about something, it's hard for me to find it. And there's so many people around, it's hard to focus on one mind anyway."

"I see." Daniel stood up, pacing absently towards the door. "We travel to other planets."

Mohinder glanced at Peter, who nodded. "How is this accomplished?"

"Through a device called a Stargate. It's got a long, very complicated history, but it was created by a race we call the Ancients. They were the first evolution in this galaxy of this form." He gestured to himself. "They left a lot of things behind, we've been finding them for years. Including the city on the water, which is on a planet called Lantea in the Pegasus galaxy."

"We thought it was on another planet," Mohinder agreed. "What is it called?"

"Atlantis. You're taking this very calmly."

He glanced pointedly up towards the camera. "I spend my days learning about a sequence of genes which can grant a man the ability to fly, or command fire, or become invisible. Aliens do not have the power to excite me they would have five years ago."

"Atlantis?" Peter repeated. "Like, Atlantis Atlantis?"

"It's what they call a city ship. It used to be on Earth, but they took it to the Pegasus galaxy something over five million years ago."

"Thus giving us the legends of the wonderful city of Atlantis, destroyed through its' inhabitant's hubris," Mohinder said thoughtfully. "It's in Pegasus still?"

"There's an expedition from here living there now. They have control of it. More or less."

"More or less?" Peter repeated.

"The ATA is our inheritance from the Ancients. A lot of their technology is keyed to it. Without the gene, nothing will work. There's a way to artificially induce the gene; they have several people on the expedition team with it now, naturally or otherwise. They can live there easily enough, but a lot of the systems—including most of the offensive ones—won't work with someone with the gene powering them."

"That's what the ATA gene does?" Mohinder repeated.

"It stands for Ancient Technology Activation. Jack has it. Joe had it. We tapped most of the Armed Forces to find gene holders for the expedition, but as your research showed, there are many more."

"RJ has this gene," Peter said thoughtfully. "Could he have found something?"

"It's possible. Bits and pieces do turn up; that's how we found Joe."

"You have experts in this gene?" Mohinder asked.

"The lead expert is Dr Carson Beckett. He's CMO on the Atlantis expedition."

"Slightly unavailable," Peter said mildly.

"He's a hard man to reach, yes. And he doesn't do house calls, as a rule." Daniel glanced up at the camera.

"We have to go to Atlantis," Peter said quietly.

"Why?"

"Because Sylar will be there. Because it's been painted. We avoided one out of all Isaac's paintings, and some of us died doing it."

"Because I can't help RJ from here," Mohinder added. "And if this spreads, I won't be able to help the next victim, or the one after that."

"It might spread?"

"The Shanti virus attacked only Meta, but…"

"Shanti?" Daniel asked, frowning.

"The virus Mollie had, the reason she was placed in my care."

"Agent Hanson said there were only two victims."

"Five, now. One died of other causes. Three survived."

"His sister Shanti died," Peter added, watching him carefully. Daniel had no idea how he reacted, but it seemed to satisfy Peter, who continued, "But we were never able to find a vector. One of the survivors—Sylar, as it happens—was deliberately infected. It's possible the two who lived were also deliberately infected."

"Unlikely. They were both working for the only people with access to the virus at the time," Mohinder put in absently.

"Niki was infected accidentally, we know about that," Peter continued. "But we don't know how Shanti was infected originally, and if Mollie wasn't infected deliberately we don't know how it's spreading."

"You'll have to forgive Peter," Mohinder said mildly. "He was a nurse before deciding his talents were better applied to saving the world."

"I recognise the language," Daniel agreed. "Look, I'll talk to…"

Peter shimmered out of view as the guard knocked, pushing the door open in the same moment. "Dr Jackson? The generals want to see you in the conference room."

"Tell them Dr Suresh is coming too," he said on impulse, rising to his feet. "And have someone find out everything there is on Gabriel Grey. He owns, or owned, a clock shop in Queens. Bring whatever you find to me."

The guard nodded, waiting patiently for Mohinder to join Daniel in the corridor.

They were stopped in the corridor outside the conference room while an MP took much longer than necessary to check Mohinder's security pass.

"Your conference room is classified?" Mohinder asked.

"Not the room, just the conferences," Daniel said absently. The guard was still diligently checking the pass against the list; Daniel sighed, half turning away. "Walter!"

"Yessir?" An older man appeared from the floor below.

"Can you please go in and see if they're ready for Dr Suresh?"

"Yessir." He vanished, reappearing a moment later to say, "They're ready now, Dr Jackson." He passed Daniel a file.

"Thanks, Walter!" Daniel said absently.

"Thank you…" Mohinder paused, catching the door to keep it open.

"Tech Sergeant Harriman, sir."

"Sergeant Harriman." He nodded again, following Daniel inside.

O'Neill and Sam were sitting on one side of a long table. Facing them were a dark-haired woman and a man who looked a little like Daniel, wearing Colonel's insignia. A General he hadn't met sat at the head of the table, watching him.

Daniel had paused by the dark-haired woman, looking faintly puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

"She was bored," the colonel supplied.

"And you know how I like to meet the new recruits," she added.

"He's not a recruit," Daniel said semi-warningly. "Mohinder…" He gestured to the chair beside him. "General Landry, Colonel Mitchell…"

"Vala Mal Doran." The dark-haired woman cut Daniel off, all but throwing herself onto the table to reach Mohinder's hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said a little awkwardly.

Mitchell and Daniel each caught an arm, hauling Vala back into her seat.

"Dr Suresh," Landry said, ignoring Vala. "Would you like to tell us why you're here?"

"I…" Mohinder glanced at Daniel, who was reading Walter's file and didn't seem to be listening. "I can make no more progress without further information."

"We gave you all the relevant files," Jack pointed out.

"You gave me edited versions of those files. Without the missing information I can't help RJ, or anyone else who may have this affliction."

"Sam," Daniel said quietly, passing the file to her. "Thanks for the attempt, Mohinder," he added more loudly. "Mohinder knows about Atlantis and the ATA."

Jack and Mitchell both started to protest at once; Vala smiled, leaning across Daniel to tell Mohinder, "I'm an alien, you know."

"Indeed?" Mohinder said, quietly relieved when Daniel pushed her upright again.

"Daniel!" Jack seemed to have glared Mitchell into silence; he was the only one speaking now. "You can't just…"

"Sir, he's given us Sylar," Sam said, cutting across him without even seeming to notice.

"You're always jumping in before I have time to really get my rhythm going, have you noticed this?" He leaned over to read the file.

"Sylar has renounced that name," Mohinder warned her. "He sees himself as something beyond human. Better than us. And he likely has the ATA gene by now."

Mitchell leaned across the table, snagging the first page of the file. Sam absently pushed it towards him, already scanning deeper into the file. "He can't have the ATA."

"He has many abilities he shouldn't."

"Gabriel Grey has the Meta mutation," Mitchell said as though surprised.

"His power is knowing how things work," Daniel added. "He's able to recreate others' abilities. He probably does have the ATA…it's only another genetic anomaly."

"Alright," Landry said firmly. Mohinder was impressed; he hadn't so much as raised his voice, but everyone was paying attention. "Dr Suresh, you know…"

"That the Stargate exists," Daniel filled in when he paused. "The Ancients created it, they used to live on Earth, they took Atlantis to Pegasus, the ATA exists and what it does, the Atlantis expedition exists."

"Hitting the high points?" Jack asked dryly.

"History of the program in five sentences or less," Mitchell agreed.

"I think that was all one sentence," Vala added.

"I'll remind you the confidentially agreement you signed is binding," Landry said, still ignoring the others.

"Yes sir, I understand."

"Very well. You may as well stay, then. General O'Neill?"

Jack pushed Sylar's file back towards Sam, pulling a couple of sheets from the folder in front of him. "RJ and his employees are the latest members of the Ranger program."

"Ranger program?" Vala said, just beating Mohinder to the question.

"I'll tell you later," Daniel told her.

Catching Mohinder's look, Mitchell said, "You must have come across the Rangers in your research into Meta appearances, Dr?"

"Power Rangers," Mohinder said. "Yes. I'm aware of them, of course."

"The first five years, they were independent," Mitchell explained. "The next couple of years after that they were part funded by the government. They've been autonomous since then but we've kept tabs. RJ's business got some tax breaks, that kind of thing."

"Why?" Mohinder asked.

"Public service," Jack said with a shrug. "If they weren't taking care of those things, we would be. As is, we're ready to back them up if necessary."

"I saw footage from Angel Grove in '98," Mohinder agreed neutrally. Jack scowled but didn't bother answering.

"I'll show you later," Daniel told Vala before she could ask. "The point is, the Rangers who knew we knew about them refused to let us run any tests, and the more recent ones don't know we know. We have no idea what being a Ranger might do to a body."

"Hasn't killed anyone yet," Jack said.

"That we know of."

"Has anyone tried asking?" Mohinder asked.

"We're not in the habit of telling armed, anonymous people we know who they are. The Rangers go to some effort to keep themselves anonymous. The groups who did work with us never answered any questions; we're limited to their medical data. Two of the Rangers are the children of one of our men, and neither he nor they would talk to us."

"So how do you know who they are?" Vala asked.

"We have contacts from earlier in the Ranger line," Landry explained. "They all keep in touch; RJ approached a couple of them for help with some of his tech, that's how we found this team."

"We track 'em when they stop being Rangers to see if we can get them into the services," Jack added.

"And?"

"To a man they set up in peaceful pursuits. Gyms, singers, football star. A lot of them go into martial arts training." Sam shrugged. "It stays with you, I guess."

Mohinder sat upright. "Do you have a list of those Rangers?"

"Um…"

"It matches your list," Jack said quietly. "Enough, anyway. Near as we can tell, every Ranger who's served for Earth had at least the ATA. Most of them, especially recently, had the Meta as well."

"Does RJ know you know?"

Daniel shrugged. "We're not sure."

"We should talk to him. Something in the tech they used may have exacerbated this problem."

"Do you think he'll talk to you?" Mitchell asked.

"I am his doctor. Effectively."

"Casey," Daniel said abruptly.

"What about him?" Jack asked.

"He's the Red. The leader. Dominic called you, even though he didn't want to, because Casey told him to. Get Casey on your side and the others'll follow."

"Red is always the leader, even if he's younger or inexperienced," Sam agreed.

"They stopped fighting months ago," Mohinder protested. "That connection does not hold."

"You'd be surprised," Daniel muttered. "Just trust me. Casey'll lead the others."

Mohinder glanced down at the sheets in his hand. "Very well," he agreed, dropping them in front of Daniel.

Scrawled across the sheet in what Daniel assumed was Peter's writing was "Do it."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Sixteen

Mohinder was packing his papers and equipment when Daniel tapped on the door. "Nearly ready?"

"Yes." Catching Daniel's look around, he added, "Peter's not here. He went to tell Nathan what's happening. He'll meet us at RJ's."

"I may regret asking this," Daniel murmured. "How did he go?"

"You'd regret it if I answered that." Mohinder slid his bag over his shoulder.

"He's a very intense man, isn't he."

"Dramatic, Jack said."

"That too, maybe."

Mohinder nodded. "Peter believes very strongly."

"In what?"

"That depends. At the moment, he believes we need to get to Atlantis. Several weeks ago he believed he was saving the world from the Shanti virus when he was actually unwittingly aiding a scheme to disperse it. He's hard to dissuade, when he's decided on a course."

"Especially if he's as powerful as you think," Daniel agreed.

"He may be more powerful than I think. He's hard to quantify."

"You should have told us about Sylar," Daniel said without looking at him.

Mohinder hesitated, one hand on the door. "I am keeper of many secrets, Daniel. I know the locations and abilities of more manifested Meta than anyone, including the companies set up to monitor them. I am trusted and I cannot betray that trust…they come to me because they know I won't pass on their details."

"I understand that, but Jack won't. You'll have to tell him something."

"We shall see what happens with RJ."

***

"Shouldn't some of you be working?" RJ asked.

"Flit's got it covered," Casey said with a shrug. "He really enjoys it. And Fran's helping, and we're right up here if he needs us."

"Yes. Up here. Not down there." He looked past Casey at Lily and Theo. "I still pay you, right?"

Lily coughed unconvincingly. "I think I'm sick, RJ. Need a day off."

"I'll take care of her!" Theo said brightly.

"No pay for Lily and Theo," RJ said as though to himself. "More pay for Flit. Pay for Fran, who seems to be the only one doing any work."

"We're worried about you," Lily said quietly.

"And I appreciate it. But you can't all stay here for the rest of your lives."

Casey shrugged. "Nothing better to do."

"You have a school full of students," Dominic pointed out.

"Spring break."

"It's fall."

"Fall break."

"Casey…" RJ started.

Dominic's phone rang, and he glanced down at it in surprise. "That's me," he announced, wandering away to the other end of the floor to answer it.

"The Masters are at the school," Casey said before RJ could start again. "They were covering for me anyway while I visited. They're perfectly willing to stay until this is sorted out."

"Mohinder," Dominic announced, waving the phone at them. "They're on the way back here."

"They have something?" Theo asked.

"I'm not sure. He didn't really want to talk."

"Casey!" Fran yelled from downstairs. "Someone's here for you!"

"Mom, can Casey come out and play?" Theo murmured. Lily laughed softly, elbowing him when Casey glared.

"Coming, Fran!" he yelled back, glancing at Dominic as he passed him.

Peter was standing by the counter, aimlessly flicking through some menus. Casey automatically glanced over his shoulder, making sure RJ hadn't followed him.

"Mohinder and Daniel and the others are on their way," Peter said, following him out into the courtyard.

"Yeah, he just called us."

"Casey, are you Power Rangers?"

"No." Casey glanced around the courtyard; one table was occupied, and he led Peter to the far corner.

"_Were_ you?"

"You understand about secret identities, right? Ocean Bluff's Rangers didn't go public. Most of them don't."

"Mohinder thinks your tech might be what's messing with RJ."

"He built all of it. And we haven't used any of it in months, anyway." He lifted one shoulder, shrugging. "We're retired."

"How's that working out for you?" Peter asked.

Casey shrugged again. "Life is…quiet. Very quiet. Or it was, until this. Look, RJ's ok for now but you probably shouldn't come in, anyway."

"No," Peter agreed. "I'll be listening, though." He glanced at the entrance to the courtyard. "They're coming."

Casey stepped away, grinning as Peter vanished. "You have to teach me that," he said softly, turning away as Daniel came into the courtyard.

"Casey," Daniel said in surprise.

"Daniel. Mohinder with you?"

"Yeah." Daniel gestured vaguely over his shoulder. "He's coming. With Jack."

Casey nodded. "I'll take you in around the back. Restaurant's open today."

"Is RJ…"

"No. He has employees. Some of them are even working." He glanced towards the door. "He'd rather be working, I think, but he knows it's not a good idea. Tell me you guys have something?"

"We might," Daniel said absently.

"I gave you Mohinder so you'd help RJ. Tell me you can help him."

Daniel looked back sharply, catching the tone in his voice. "We can't help him right now. But we will."

Mohinder followed Jack in before Casey could answer, glancing around the courtyard. "Casey," he said, sounding every bit as surprised as Daniel had been.

"Yeah. Come on." He took Mohinder's bag, leading them around to the side of the building.

Dominic met them at the head of the stairs. "Hey," he said, holding the door open for them. "Careful," he added to Casey in an undertone.

"Mmm-hmm. RJ? Mohinder's back."

RJ raised a hand, not moving from his chair.

"Did you find something?" Lily asked.

"Perhaps. Are you, by any chance, Power Rangers?"

"What? No." She glanced uneasily at Casey. "Why…"

"Were you ever?"

"What does this have to do with RJ?" Theo demanded.

"It may be a flaw in the tech you were using," Daniel explained.

"We all used the same tech," RJ said quietly. "And we stopped using it months ago."

"RJ!" Lily protested, subsiding when he looked sideways at her.

"May I see your morpher, RJ?" Mohinder asked, stumbling slightly over the unfamiliar term.

"Dom," RJ said, jerking his head towards the closet.

"You checked up on us," Jack noted.

RJ nodded. "Some of my predecessors spoke very highly of you." He tilted his head. "Some of them also spoke…not so highly."

"Jack makes it a habit to annoy everyone he possibly can," Daniel said mildly.

"It's a way to make sure they remember me," Jack agreed.

Dominic returned with a small box, which he offered to Casey. Casey opened it, lifting out the morpher and holding it out towards Mohinder.

"RJ became a Ranger after we did," he said quietly. "If the morphers were responsible, we should be showing signs too."

Jack took a step forward, reaching to touch the morpher.

"Jack?" Daniel said warily.

"It's Ancient. Or something in it is. RJ, who made this?"

"I did. I got some help from some former Rangers."

"Where did they get the information?" Daniel asked.

RJ blinked. "I didn't ask. All Earth's Rangers use a variant on a theme."

"They're not that old," Theo added.

"Not old ancient. It's…"

"The city on the water," RJ said. "It really is alien, isn't it."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "How many people did you tell, Daniel?"

"Just Mohinder."

"RJ dreamed about it," Casey said absently. "This is alien?" He touched the morpher lightly.

It sparked bright purple under his fingers and he took a step back in surprise. "Whoa. That's not supposed to happen."

"That didn't happen a minute ago," Dominic added, leaning in to touch it. It sparked for him, as well, but not for Jack or Daniel.

"RJ, what happens when you touch it?" Mohinder asked.

RJ held up his hands, displaying the bruising. "We're not really getting on at the moment."

"Don't touch him," Casey added when Mohinder took a step forward. "That's what started the whole thing."

"Ok." Mohinder put the morpher back into the box, passing it to Casey. "RJ, your Meta is the wolf, correct?"

"As far as we know, yes."

"Your ATA gene should have blocked the Meta. Is it possible something in your morpher malfunctioned?"

"It's the same as ours," Theo protested.

"Ours were sunglasses," Casey reminded him.

"The look's different. They work the same way."

"Yours were sunglasses?" Daniel repeated.

"They've been a lot of things," RJ said. "Belt buckles, bracelets, pendants. The look doesn't matter."

"Mine's a bracelet," Dominic agreed.

"Can we talk to someone who might be able to tell us?" Daniel asked, fingering the little box.

"You have contacts," RJ pointed out.

"None of our contacts are technicians. And it takes a long time to get in touch with them. It's all dead letter drops and things. Very secretive, you Rangers."

"RJ built the morphers," Lily said.

"But he was just...sorry, RJ. You were just following a plan, right?"

"I understand how it all works. But I can't tell you where the design came from."

"Casey, you said you guys were Rangers first?" Mohinder asked.

"Yes," Casey said warily.

"RJ, did you have any problems with the wolf before you became a Ranger?"

"Once, but it was dragged out."

"Dai Shi, our villain, tried to steal RJ's wolf spirit," Casey explained. "It didn't work, but his spirit was unsettled and RJ transformed for the first time a couple of days later. He morphed for the first time when he changed back."

Mohinder nodded. "I believe I may have an idea, now. This…Dai Shi…tried to force the transformation past your ATA, and he may have damaged it. That's why it's failing now."

"So what's the cure?" Theo demanded.

"That, I'm not sure of yet. I have some ideas, but…" He glanced at Jack. "I will need to confer with Dr Beckett."

"Yeah, I figured you would." He sighed, looking back at RJ. "Can you put us in touch with whoever we need to ask about the morphers?"

"I can ask the man you need to get in touch with you."

"We don't hand over our own," Dominic added when Jack started to protest. Casey shifted uncomfortably, but Dominic didn't even look at him.

"RJ, I'm afraid I need another blood sample," Mohinder said apologetically.

"Of course you do," he said with a sigh. "Lil, can you do it?"

"I'll do it," Dominic said, taking the kit from Mohinder.

"Lily," RJ said firmly.

"Yeah," Lily said immediately. "I can do it."

Dominic handed over the kit without comment, backing up again to stand beside Daniel. "Is he ok?" he murmured.

"Not sure yet." Dominic didn't look at him, watching as Lily carefully slid the needle in.

"You know, Casey feels really…"

"Not your business," Dominic said. "It's a team matter. We'll work it out."

"He was looking out for the team," Daniel said quietly. "I know," he added as Dominic glared. "Not my business. That's all I wanted to say."

Lily backed up, passing the sample back to Mohinder. "Here. Will it help?"

"Yes. I believe that now I know what I'm looking for, I should be able to help him."

"Thank you," Casey said softly.

"Back to base?" Jack asked.

"Yes, thank you," Mohinder said absently, carefully stowing the sample. "RJ, may we take your morpher?"

"I'd kind of rather you didn't," RJ said warily.

"We won't harm it. There are a couple of tests we can run that could be helpful." He glanced at Jack. "One of them could come along?"

Jack threw up his hands. "Why not? Let's bring the whole team!"

"Theo," RJ said quietly. Theo nodded, taking the box from Casey and joining Mohinder.

"Jack, I might stay here," Daniel said thoughtfully. "If that's alright," he added, deliberately directing the words at Dominic.

"Can you make pizza?" RJ asked.

"Um…I don't know. I've never tried."

"Yeah, whatever. Stay, make nice. Let's go, Doc." Mohinder nodded, making to pick up his bag; Casey got there first, heading for the outside door. Jack shrugged, following him.

"Anthropologist, huh?" Dominic asked.

Daniel nodded, recognising the attempt to change the subject. "Yeah. Among other things."

"Writing a paper on the inner workings of the Power Rangers?"

"Dom, leave it," Casey said, coming back in.

"No, it's alright," Daniel said quickly. "Dominic, I'm always interested in learning new things, yes, but I wouldn't pass on anything I learned without permission from one of you."

"I'm hungry," RJ said abruptly. "Anyone else hungry?"

"I'll get it," Casey said, heading for the stairs to the kitchen. "Dr Jackson, any requests?"

"Anything's fine, thank you."

Peter was still in the courtyard, playing idly with the pepper holder from the nearest table.

"I thought you'd have gone with Mohinder," Casey said, dropping into the nearest chair.

"I'll catch up to him. Did I see Theo go with them?"

"Yeah, Dr Jackson stayed here. Like a hostage exchange, I think. Mohinder took RJ's morpher, too."

"Dr Jackson's a good guy. Don't worry about him."

Casey nodded. "Theo's got an attitude, but he's alright. Can you…"

"I'll keep an eye on him. Listen…" He held out a card. "Nathan's number. He can get Mohinder or me, if you need us."

"Thanks." Casey took it from him, slipping it into his pocket.

"Casey?" Fran called from the doorway. "It's ready."

"Thanks Fran!"

"I should go," Peter said, pushing away from the wall.

"Yeah. See you later, Peter."

"See you later, Casey."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

"Hey, Doc." John leaned in the door of Carson's office.

"Colonel. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I was training with Teyla, and…"

"Zigged when you should have zagged?"

"Stood still when I should have run away, I think. Do you mind? The nurse is busy."

"No, no. Let's have a look."

John bounced up onto the nearest bed, waiting while Carson sorted out his gloves. "How're things going with the doc back at SGC?"

"Dr Suresh? He left the base to follow a lead. I haven't heard from him since."

"He getting anywhere? Ow!"

"Sorry. You've a nice lump, but I don't think it'll injure you permanently."

"Thanks." John reached up to rub at it.

"Don't," Carson said firmly.

John made a face. "Yeah."

"Dr Suresh has some good ideas. It would be nice to work with him."

"Be handy for dealing with our resident Meta, huh?"

"It would be nice to have a better idea what I'm doing, yes."

"Ah, you're doing fine. You haven't killed him yet, anyway."

Carson scoffed as John hopped off the bed. "Thanks for the high opinion, Colonel!"

"Any time, Carson!"

***

"Don't you ever lose track of day and night down here?" Theo asked, glancing uneasily up at the ceiling.

"It happens," Sam agreed absently.

"Are you claustrophobic, Theo?" Mohinder asked.

"No. At least, I never was before."

"Can you touch this?" Sam asked, looking up from RJ's morpher.

Theo leaned over the desk, touching RJ's morpher. Bright purple energy sparked and the detectors attached to it began beeping loudly.

"None of these readings make sense," Sam protested. "If this is Ancient tech it's not like anything I've seen before. Theo, how does…"

"I don't know how they work," he warned her. "I just put it on and it does."

"Do you have yours?" Mohinder asked.

"No. Casey and Lily and I don't carry them anymore; they're stored at the school, just in case."

"In case of what?"

"In case Dai Shi rises again. He's not supposed to, but just in case…"

"Dai Shi was your villain, right?" Sam asked, altering a connection on the morpher.

"Yeah. He was defeated the first time ten thousand years ago, and he wasn't supposed to rise again that time either. He was accidentally released."

"And that might happen again?"

"It's unlikely. But our morphers will stay at the school in case they're needed." He glanced at the morpher. "I thought you said you weren't going to take it apart."

"I'm not," Sam said. "I'm just trying to see if I can get at the information encoded in it."

"You won't be able to. It's a Ranger morpher, only Rangers can use it."

"Yeah, but I'm not trying to use it."

"It doesn't matter." Theo leaned past her, carefully disconnecting the wires from the morpher. "You won't be able to figure it out this way."

"Carter?" Cam said warily from the door.

"Yeah, Cam, come in." Sam began tidying her equipment.

"RJ came through; Lightspeed Rescue's technician is willing to meet us to go over the morpher."

"Good, I'm not learning anything this way."

Cam glanced at Theo, who was fastening the morpher around his wrist. "So I see."

"Rangers understand the morphers and the powers in ways non-Rangers can't. You could take it apart and put it back together and you still wouldn't understand."

Cam studied him for a moment. "Right. Doc, what about you?"

"I've confirmed my hypothesis. I can't say how he did it, but Dai Shi forcibly manifested RJ's Meta abilities and his ATA was damaged. I've sent my findings to Dr Beckett to see if he concurs."

"On track, then."

"More or less," Sam agreed, overriding Mohinder. "When's the tech meeting us?"

"First thing tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Theo repeated. "What time is it?"

"Twenty one forty."

"See?" Theo said to Mohinder. "Lose track of time in here."

"I knew what time it is," Mohinder said mildly.

"Oh, you knew. That's fine." He turned to Sam. "I need to call the others."

"I want to check in with Jackson, anyway," Cam agreed. "Come with me, I'll get you set up. Doc? You need to call anyone?"

"No. Thank you."

"Alright. Theo?"

Theo followed him out of the room, glancing back at Mohinder as the door closed.

"I think I'm ready to call it a night," Sam said, standing away from the desk. "You?"

"There's little more I can do until Dr Beckett has had time to look over my files." He glanced vaguely around the room. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure I remember the way to my room."

"Quarters."

"Quarters," he repeated. "Yes. Quarters."

"I can show you. It's…not anywhere near being on my way, but I'll show you anyway."

"Thank you."

***

Lily was the first to give up, heading for her room with Fran after nearly an hour's silence. Dominic watched them go, sighing.

"It's always nice to come back to a party," he said idly, rising to his feet and wandering aimlessly across the loft.

"Not much in the party mood," Casey said. "Your hammock's out on the porch, if you wanna turn in."

"What, and miss all the fun?" Dominic picked up the basketball from one of the stools, bouncing it idly.

The phone down in the kitchen began ringing; Casey eyed him for a moment before heading down to answer it.

"It's Theo!" he yelled upstairs a moment later.

"Is he ok?" Lily called from her room. Dominic repeated the question for Casey.

"Yeah! Everything's fine. They're meeting someone from Lightspeed Rescue tomorrow."

RJ nodded slowly. "Angela."

"Theo's going to go with them, because he's wearing your morpher," Casey continued. "They'll bring him back here after that." A moment later he added, "Dr Jackson? There's a Colonel Mitchell here wants to talk to you."

Daniel looked up in surprise from the notebook he'd been scribbling in; tucked into a corner, he'd almost forgotten where he was. "Coming!" he answered, stuffing the notebook into his pocket.

Cam repeated more or less what Theo had told Casey; Daniel assured him that he was perfectly fine, they were being very nice to him, and he didn't mind staying until tomorrow. Lowering the phone, he added to Casey, "If that's ok?"

"The more the merrier," Casey said with a shrug. "How would you get back now, anyway?"

Daniel grinned, turning back to the phone. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cam."

"_Sleep well_," Cam answered, hanging up before Daniel could retort.

"I thought Jack was your boss," Casey said casually.

"He was, for a long time, but he got promoted and Cam's in his place now." Casey nodded slowly, and Daniel added, "You're the leader here, right?"

"No."

Daniel frowned, starting to speak, and Casey added, "When we were Rangers, I was field leader. But RJ was our Master."

"Master?" Daniel repeated, leaning back against the wall.

"Sensei. He trained us. He taught us how to be Rangers."

Daniel nodded slowly. "And Dominic?"

"Dom trained with RJ, years ago. But he was…" Casey shook his head sharply. "No. This isn't…"

"I'm sorry," Daniel said immediately. "I'm just…I like to know how things work."

"Anthropologist," Casey agreed. "But we're not anything special."

"You're a closed society," Daniel argued.

"No," Casey said firmly. "If you just want to study us, Daniel, I'll go find you a hotel right now. This isn't a field trip."

"No. You're right," Daniel said quickly. "I'm sorry. I'm not…I love to learn, is all."

"Not here."

"No. Alright."

Casey turned to go back upstairs; Dominic was standing at the top, watching him. Casey didn't speak, just went past him into the loft.

Dominic wandered down into the kitchen. Daniel didn't move, watching him dig around in the fridge, not seeming to look for anything particular.

"He was a good leader," he said abruptly, head still buried in the fridge.

"I'm sure he was," Daniel agreed quietly.

Dominic straightened, turning to look at him. "He's putting a lot of trust in your guys."

"We're doing our best."

"I hope so."

Dominic headed back upstairs, leaving Daniel alone in the quiet kitchen.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

Late the next afternoon Mohinder guided SG1 to a warehouse in Ocean Bluff. Peter's paintings were waiting there, sitting on easels in the otherwise empty space.

"How'd you manage this?" Cam asked, wandering towards the pictures.

"I have friends in high places." He looked at Daniel. "This is Atlantis?"

"That's it," he agreed, glancing at Jack.

"I wanna know why this Sylar would go to Atlantis even if he does have the gene," Cam said. "It's not like he can rule Earth from there—we control access."

"I want to know how he knew about Atlantis at all," Jack added, looking pointedly at Mohinder.

"Mohinder's been with one of us since he found out," Daniel reminded him.

"Sylar is precognitive," Mohinder told Jack. "And he can hear things from a great distance. It would not be hard for him to find your base."

"Yes, but we control the base. And the 'Gate. No one gets to Atlantis except through us."

"He can change how he looks," Nathan said from the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded.

Mohinder frowned, ignoring Jack to ask "He can?"

"So Hiro says. He could look like one of your soldiers, walk on base."

"He can change how he looks?" Cam repeated. "That's just great."

"What, you've never dealt with shape-changers before?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, let's see." Jack started counting on his fingers. "Invisible aliens, aliens who take over your brain, robot doubles, clones…"

"Aliens who make you think you know them even though you don't," Daniel added.

Jack waved acknowledgement. "Right, yes. But no shape-changers."

"They're right," Nathan said to Mohinder. "Why would Sylar want to go to Atlantis?"

"He knows something we don't," Mohinder said slowly. "Are there Meta on the expedition?"

No one answered, and Nathan sighed. "Look, we're risking much more than you are here. We're well aware that you could have us vanished any time you like."

"We don't have people vanished," Jack said impatiently.

"i_We_/i don't," Daniel agreed.

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Mohinder murmured.

"Then we're definitely risking more than you are," Nathan said firmly. "And we can't help you if you don't tell us what we need to know."

Jack sighed. "There's one Meta on the expedition."

"Manifested?" Mohinder asked.

"He's non-national," Daniel said apologetically. "We weren't able to get the records, and he declined to fill them in for us. If he has manifested, no one on the expedition has reported it."

"You let him join the expedition with a hole like that in his records?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, of course. He was the best man for the job."

"Huh."

"Did you check anyone with the ATA?" Mohinder asked.

"Yeah, no hits. There is only one Meta on Atlantis."

"There'll be two soon." Peter shimmered into view at Nathan's shoulder.

"You people have to stop doing that!" Jack snapped.

Peter shrugged, unaffected by his glare. "Sylar's going there. He tracked Claire for a year, across the country and back. He'll go to Atlantis and he'll kill your man."

Daniel grimaced, looking at Jack. "If he has manifested…"

"Some powers are quieter than others," Mohinder offered. "It's entirely possible he did manifest but has kept it to himself."

Jack sighed. "Cam, let's get word to Liz and Caldwell. Ground the ship."

"They're going from here," Daniel reminded him.

"Well, orbit the ship, then. Keep the new recruits on it."

"Yes, sir." Cam wandered towards the door, pulling out his radio.

"You up to date?" Jack demanded, looking at Peter.

"ATA, Atlantis, Ancients," he reeled off.

"It's generally easiest to assume Peter knows everything," Mohinder added.

"Yeah? Why is that, exactly?" Jack asked.

"Peter," Daniel said before he could answer, "if Sylar has the ATA, surely his Meta abilities are blocked?"

Peter shook his head. "Sylar can reconcile different abilities. He can keep the ATA and his Meta…the Rangers did." Catching Daniel's look, he added, "I don't know. I haven't picked it up yet."

"Right. Active." Daniel nodded.

"Where're Sam and Teal'c?" Peter asked, glancing around the room.

"Still in Lightspeed with Mrs Rawlings, last time they checked in," Mohinder told him. "She thinks she has a lead."

"Right." He wandered towards the paintings, seeming not to notice when Nathan followed him.

"Ok. Who is he?" Jack demanded, looking from Nathan to Mohinder.

Nathan glanced at Mohinder, who nodded slightly. "Peter's my brother," he told Jack.

"Peter Petrelli is a manic depressive," Jack protested. "He tried to commit suicide."

"Didn't take," Peter said without looking at him.

"He's not," Nathan said quietly. "His records were altered by someone who didn't want anyone looking for him."

"It suits Peter to stay out of the public eye," Mohinder added. "So he has not protested the records, and no one is surprised when he is not at Nathan's functions, or that he does not work."

"And you turn invisible?" Cam asked.

"Yeah, sure," Peter said absently.

Daniel laughed softly, staring at the floor to avoid Jack's glare.

"Someone want to fill me in?" Jack demanded.

This time Mohinder looked to Nathan for permission, but Peter spoke up before they could. "I absorb the powers of other Meta," he said, turning his back to the paintings to watch Jack. "But unlike Sylar, I don't kill for them. I duplicate them. The other Meta usually doesn't know it's happened."

"How?" Cam asked. He was holding his gun, Daniel noticed, though he hadn't lifted it.

Peter shrugged. "Any power that's used around me, I can duplicate later. I don't know how it works, exactly. It just does."

"I could explain the genetics," Mohinder offered.

"Maybe later," Jack said quickly.

Peter nodded. "The point is, I don't know if I can absorb the ATA. It's a genetic thing, just like Meta, so I should be able to. But the ATA and the Meta are mutually exclusive; no one manifests both. I'd need to be around someone who was actually using it to be sure."

"If Peter can't, Sylar most likely won't be able to either," Mohinder offered.

"Bright side," Nathan murmured.

"You're using your powers there," Daniel pointed out, gesturing to the painting of Peter and Sylar.

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "But that doesn't tell us anything."

"It tells us if you did absorb the ATA, it didn't overwrite your Meta abilities."

Nathan smiled, nudging Peter. "He's good."

"Mmm-hmm. Do you recognise the lab?"

"All the labs on Atlantis look alike, and I was only there for a little while."

"It's definitely Atlantis, though?"

"Yeah." Daniel brushed two fingers over the painting. "It's definitely Atlantis. You don't forget it once you've seen it."

Cam's radio chirped; he listened to it for a second before heading for the door.

"Mitchell?" Jack yelled after him.

He waved without looking back at them. "No problem, sir!"

Nathan nudged Peter, who shook his head. "Nothing," he said under his breath.

"Sure?" Nathan asked just as quietly.

"Yeah, it's fine."

Cam came back in, followed by Sam and Teal'c. "Sorry, sir, couldn't find the right warehouse," Sam said. "Wow," she added, noticing the paintings.

"Did you find out anything?" Jack asked.

"AngelaRawlings was most helpful." Teal'c halted beside Daniel, eyeing Nathan and Peter suspiciously.

"First of all, Theo was right. Rangers are almost always their own techs. Using the morphers seems to bring an understanding of the Power that can't be duplicated." Sam shrugged off her jacket, studying the paintings as she spoke. "Angela wasn't a Ranger, but her team was one of the few."

"Sort of like how Jack and Colonel Sheppard understand Ancient tech better than we do," Daniel suggested.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "The first morphers on Earth were provided by an alien who called himself Zordon."

"That doesn't sound very Ancient-y," Jack commented.

"He may have been hiding. Apparently he didn't fight himself, but he did choose the Rangers for several years and he provided the design for the morphers. Angela walked me through the design, and there is technology built into them that allows the Meta to manifest despite the ATA's suppression."

"The last several teams have had Meta mutations," Daniel agreed. "Where is Zordon now?"

"They seem to think he was killed in '98."

"Seem to?" Peter repeated.

"If Zordon was an Ascended Ancient it's very unlikely he could actually be killed. It's more likely that the others of his kind caught him interfering and stripped his powers."

"Ascended Ancients aren't supposed to interfere with us lower beings," Sam added when Nathan only looked confused. "And by giving us this technology, Zordon interfered in a big way."

Peter shrugged. "Can you duplicate it?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Aw, come on, Carter," Jack protested.

"No, sir, I'm serious. Lightspeed Rescue started out with five Rangers. Angela tried to make back up morphers, in case anything happened, and none of them ever worked. Later she made a morpher for a Sixth Ranger; that one was fine, but the back up wouldn't work again."

"The morphers only function if they are needed," Teal'c added.

"How do they know?" Jack protested.

"Jack, you spent eight years watching Joe Spencer's life," Daniel reminded him. "Ancient technology can do a lot of things we don't understand."

"If you can't duplicate it, he didn't interfere," Peter said. "If the Rangers didn't exist, the Army would have been fighting…whatever her name was. The Rangers' enemies."

"Yes, but the Ancients don't see it like that," Daniel said. Peter studied him for a minute before looking away, back at the painting.

"So Dai Shi damaged his ATA, but while he was wearing the morpher the damage was contained," Mohinder said slowly.

Sam nodded. "The morpher was designed to allow him to manifest. But he's not a Ranger now, and his ATA has deteriorated too far to keep his Meta in check."

"How do we fix it?" Daniel asked, looking from Sam to Mohinder.

Mohinder shook his head. "I need to consult with Dr Beckett. Face to face."

Jack sighed. "You're really intent on getting to Atlantis, aren't you?"

"I don't think we have a choice now, Jack. If this spreads…and I agree it's unlikely, but it might happen again…we need the Rangers."

"Yeah." Jack moved, passing Mohinder to stand beside Peter in front of the paintings. "Will you know Sylar?"

"Maybe. He's hard to read, but I might be able to pick him out." He glanced sideways at Jack. "RJ'll have to come too."

"Let's make it a party," Jack groused. "Invite everyone. Liz'll love it."

"Dr Weir?" Zelenka tapped on her door frame. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Radek, come in. Close the door." He hesitated, one hand on the frame, and she added, "I just need to talk to you for a minute."

He closed the door, but he was obviously nervous as he settled opposite her.

"We've had some information from the SGC. Joe Spencer was murdered because of his latent Meta abilities, and they believe the culprit may be attempting to get here."

Zelenka blinked several times. "Here."

"Yes. Now, obviously, we're not letting anyone through from the SGC, and i_Daedalus_/i is going to stay in orbit until we're sure no one's on board who shouldn't be. Colonel Sheppard's been informed, and he's increased the security presence in the halls, but they don't know that you, specifically, are in danger, so we need you to be careful, alright? Stay with others, don't go exploring."

"Yes," Zelenka said mechanically.

"Radek, we can give you a guard if you like, but…"

"Would be like hanging sign saying "I am Meta," Radek finished.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Still, if you want it…"

"No. No one has come, there is no danger."

"SGC say this man is very determined. They think he'll find a way. So you need to stay in groups, alright? Colonel Sheppard's team have gone back on stand down, so he'll be around the labs a lot."

"Thank you." He rose, turning towards the door.

"Radek?"

He hesitated, not looking back, and she continued, "Have you manifested?"

"This is relevant?"

"Maybe. This man will be looking for an active Meta."

He turned back, coming to her desk and picking up a file. "Some years ago, I am studying very hard. Cannot understand the math. I stop studying, I turn away, I pick up another book." He put the file back down without opening it. "As soon as I touch it, I know what it says. Every word, every concept is clear in my mind. I go back to my studying and it goes much more quickly." He smiled faintly. "Any book. Any file. A computer with an open file, an open database. One touch and I know it all."

"That's remarkable," Elizabeth breathed. "In any language?"

"In my head, it's always Czech. Or math. Makes finding things in our databases here much faster." He tapped the file on her desk. "Lieutenant Anders will go home soon. Physiotherapy."

Elizabeth picked up the file, scanning through enough of it to verify Radek's words. "That's amazing."

"Rodney would think it cheating." He shrugged. "That I cannot keep up on my own."

"It's an incredible ability." He looked at her, and she raised both hands defensively. "Which no one will hear about from me, of course."

"Thank you." Radek nodded, carefully propping her door open again as he left.

John was hanging around out in Control; he nodded acknowledgement as Radek passed him, coming to join Elizabeth.

"How'd he take it?"

"I'm not sure. He's agreed to stay in the populated areas, anyway. I don't think he's quite absorbed it yet."

"It's a lot to take in. When are our guests getting here?"

"Colonel O'Neill wasn't sure. Today or tomorrow."

John nodded. "Better make sure there's extra security, in case this Sylar guy does slip through."

Elizabeth waved him off, turning back to her work. Pausing for a moment, she picked up the file and flicked through it once more before laying it aside and opening the next file on her computer.

John headed for the nearest transporter, randomly heading to the nearest empty sector. "Alice?"

"Yes, John," she said from behind him. "McKay will pick you up, you know."

"I know, I'm not staying. Two things. There's gonna be some people coming through from the SGC. Some of them have the gene, so you need to keep out of sight, alright?"

"Alright, John," she agreed, studying him quizzically. "Something else?"

"Yeah. There's a chance someone might be going after Zelenka. Keep an eye on him and let me know if anything happens, alright?"

"You need to prioritise one of those orders," she told him. "If something happens to Zelenka and you are with someone with the gene…"

"Come and tell me. Zelenka's the priority."

"Very well," she agreed, ducking her head. "McKay has noticed where you are."

John's radio beeped. "I_What are you doing, Sheppard?_/I"

John glanced at Alice, who shrugged and faded away. "Marco?" he suggested.

"I_Yes, very funny. You'll be pleased to know we've fixed the hardware problem. Sensors are working in that sector._/I_"_

John stepped back into the transporter, tapping the exit nearest Rodney's lab. "Oh, good. So a week and a half later, your program works."

"I_My program worked all the time! Hardware problem, not software. I thought even you knew the difference./I_"

"Uh-huh." He turned off the radio, leaning against the door of the lab. "So what brilliant plan are you working on now?"

"You wouldn't understand it if I explained it to you," Rodney said without missing a beat. "What are you doing here?"

"Need to borrow Radek for a sec."

"Why?"

"Oh, it's beneath you, Rodney. You just keep working on your important project, I'll have him back before you have time to yell."

"I yell fast," Rodney warned him, turning back to his work.

Radek followed John out into the corridor. "Something I can do for you, Colonel?"

"No. Alice is going to be keeping an eye on you until we're sure Sylar isn't here."

"I'm sure he's not here now."

"That's nice for you, but I'm not. Just yell if you get in trouble, Ok?"

Radek nodded. "I will." Glancing away, he added, "Thank you, Alice."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

"…so that's the plan," Daniel finished, looking hopefully around the loft. Peter was standing behind him, leaning against the wall; the teens were grouped around RJ on the other side of the loft.

None of them spoke until Casey shifted, taking a step forward that put him half in front of RJ. "Your plan is to take RJ to another galaxy, where you might be able to help him. Or not."

"That's about right," Daniel agreed.

"Heavy," RJ murmured. He didn't move as far as Daniel could see, but Casey glanced back at him and then stepped out of his way.

"His morpher's hurting him. How do you think he's going to manage in a city built by the Ancients?"

"Casey, I'm right here," RJ protested. Casey glanced apologetically at him, but he didn't speak.

"They use a lot of Earth materials on the base. We've already spoken to Elizabeth. They'll make sure you don't come into contact with anything Ancient if it can be avoided." Daniel shrugged apologetically. "It's not perfect, RJ, but it's the best we can do."

"Can your guys help him?" Dominic demanded.

"It's not a guarantee. But they're pretty confident; they know what's wrong, now, and that's a big step."

"I'm going," Peter added. "If things go wrong, I can get you guys home."

"You're going too?" Lily asked in surprise.

Peter glanced at Daniel. "I have to go. Sylar's going to be there. I have to be ready for him. I have to ask you a favour."

He aimed the question somewhere between Casey and Dominic; Casey didn't answer, and Dominic said warily, "What favour?"

"I need you to morph. One of you."

Dominic automatically touched his wrist, rubbing the bracelet there. "I'm not a Ranger anymore."

"No, but you still have your morpher, right? If you use it I should be able to copy the ATA."

"It'll have to be you, Dominic," Casey said quietly. To Peter, he added, "What if you can't?"

"If I can't, Sylar can't either. It's one less thing to worry about."

"You don't need to morph," RJ said. "Just call your morpher."

Dominic nodded, backing away from Casey towards the centre of the room. Stancing, he thrust his hands forward and a light flared around his wrist, solidifying into the morpher.

"Is that enough?" he asked Peter.

"It should be. May I?"

Dominic flicked his wrist, dismissing the morpher, and slipped his bracelet off, tossing it to Casey. "Really don't morph," Casey warned him, holding out the bracelet.

"Don't worry." Peter took the bracelet, studying it. "How does…"

"You should just know," Daniel offered. "Ancient technology is very intuitive for anyone with the gene."

He shook his head, still studying it. "It's just a bracelet."

"The ATA didn't take. This is good." Daniel winced at the look on his face. "Well, not for you, but we don't need Sylar in control of Atlantis."

Lily held out a hand; Peter handed the bracelet back, and she tossed it to Dominic. "Now what?" she asked, looking to Daniel.

"Now we get ready to go to Atlantis." He glanced at Peter. "What do you need to do?"

"There's a couple of people I need to talk to. It shouldn't take long." He vanished without waiting for anyone to answer.

"I really wish he'd teach me that," Casey muttered. "Dom, you and me?"

"We're all going," RJ said quietly. "We're all there."

Daniel studied him. "How literal was the dream?"

"How literal is this?"

"This is real."

RJ didn't answer, only smiled faintly, and Daniel nodded. "Ok. Point taken. Get ready, then."

Casey glanced at the others; no one moved, except Dominic, who folded his arms and looked bored.

"Right," Daniel muttered.

"Casey, talk to Fran and Flit," RJ said quietly. Casey nodded, turning to head away across the loft.

Daniel clicked his radio. "Jack? We're just waiting for Peter, and we'll be down."

"i_Peter's with you_/i," Jack reminded him.

"Not any more. He said he needed to go talk to some people."

"i_Bell. That man needs a bell._/i"

"We shouldn't be long."

"i_Oh, we're having great fun down here. Take your time_/i."

Fran scrambled up the stairs, almost tripping on the way down into the loft proper. "You're leaving?" she asked, looking from RJ to Dominic.

Lily caught Theo's eye and they both backed up as casually as possible, starting a carefully staged conversation about fighting forms; Daniel couldn't follow it, but he attempted to look interested.

He did notice they were careful to pitch their voices just low enough to hear what was being said without making it look like they were.

"Their doctors think they can help RJ," Dominic explained quietly.

"Ok, well, that's great, but…you're going?"

"We have to. If RJ goes wolf again, they won't try to talk him down, they'll just stop him. They'll hurt him." He reached out to catch Fran's arm, tugging her closer. "We'll be back, Frannie. I promise."

Daniel looked away, suddenly reluctant to intrude. "Dominic and Fran…"

"They're buddies," Theo said, deliberately light.

"After the fight, after we were done, they went travelling," Lily explained. "Fran wanted to see the world, and Dom has serious wanderlust. He hates standing still. They'd still be travelling now, but we called…I called them home."

"Dominic's a good guy," Theo added more quietly. "But he's only ever been serious about two things. Being a Ranger was one. Fran's the other."

"He could stay," Daniel pointed out quietly.

"No, he can't. Dominic's the only one of us who can still morph if he has to. The morphers can't leave the school, and RJ can't. He can't even touch his morpher."

"Do you think he'll need to?"

"I really hope not."

RJ came to join them, carefully stepping past them so they had to turn their backs on Fran and Dominic. "Are we nearly ready?" he asked brightly.

"Just waiting for Peter. And Casey, wherever he's gone."

"Casey'll be back in a minute. Can't speak for Peter, though."

Casey came up in time to catch the end of that. "What about Nathan?"

"I don't think Nathan's coming. Jack doesn't want him to."

"Why not?" Theo asked.

"We usually don't like to bring senators through the 'Gate. It tends not to work out very well. Especially not to Atlantis; they're semi- under siege."

"What does Peter think?" Casey asked, skirting Dominic and Fran without really looking at them.

"We haven't asked him. He's not in charge; he doesn't get a say."

Dominic joined them; when Daniel looked up, Fran had already gone back downstairs. "What are we waiting for?" he asked cheerfully.

"Peter," Lily explained. "He went to go talk to…someone."

"Can we wait for him outside?"

"Are we sure Dominic's morpher is going to work in the Pegasus galaxy?" Theo asked suddenly.

"The Power is universal, my friend," RJ assured him.

"Ancient devices work wherever they are," Daniel added. "They won't stop working just because you moved."

"Morphers," Casey said abruptly. "RJ, where's your morpher?"

"Same place it always is. I can't use it, Casey."

"Not right now," Casey agreed, going to the cupboard in the corner of the loft. "But you will when they fix you, and if there's really going to be a fight you might need it."

RJ didn't answer, and Casey looked up from the box, puzzled. "What?"

"I'm not broken."

"Sorry?"

Dominic caught Daniel's eye and jerked his head towards the stairs. Daniel glanced down at his bag, rifling idly through it and then turning to head for the kitchen, laying out his papers as loudly as possible.

He couldn't make enough noise to block their conversation without totally drowning them out, though, and Casey's voice was rising.

"I know you're not broken; that's not what I meant."

"You've seen the wolf before."

"Yeah, but you've never changed by choice, RJ. That's all I meant."

"The wolf's me, Casey. He's coming out badly, but he's still me."

"I I_know_/I," Casey insisted. "I'm sorry; I phrased it badly. I didn't mean that you're broken."

RJ studied him for a moment before relaxing. "Alright, then."

"Problem?" Peter asked quietly from just behind Daniel's shoulder. Daniel jumped, sending several sheets flying across the loft.

"Bell," he muttered, crouching to gather the sheets together. Standing back up, he added, "Nothing's wrong. We were just waiting for you."

"Here I am. Let's go."


	21. Chapter 21

Author's note: We're moving into the second part of the story now, as our heroes head to Atlantis. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

"Anyone wants to back out," Casey murmured, "this would be the time."

"Actually, I think the time may have been before they turned that thing on," Theo said just as softly.

"Not getting cold feet, are we?" Dominic asked.

Casey didn't answer, studying the 'Gate. Jack and General Landry were exchanging code words with Atlantis; the city was on some kind of lock down in case Sylar had found his way through.

Casey glanced at his team; RJ's eyes were closed, but he seemed calm enough. Lily was standing beside him, close enough to brush his sleeve when she moved, which seemed to be helping.

All five were wearing their training uniforms. They'd been offered SGC uniforms, but RJ had refused on their behalf. The training uniforms marked them as a team, separate from the military they'd soon be surrounded by.

Peter was talking quietly with Mohinder nearby, casting glances at the 'Gate every few seconds. The shimmering blue had almost hypnotised him when it had first roared towards them; Mohinder had had to grab his arm to keep him back, off the ramp.

Nathan, as Daniel had predicted, had not come. The SGC and their overseers, the IOA, had decided not to risk a Senator—even one with a track record like Nathan's—on a dangerous trip to another galaxy. Peter had argued with General Landry for nearly an hour, until Nathan finally told him to leave it alone.

The only other people coming were SG14. They'd been on base since the day before Joe Spencer's body was discovered, quarantined for an alien virus; they'd been declared healthy and were now the only team Landry and Jack were sure of.

"You have a go," General Landry announced from the control room. "Be careful, people."

"We'll check in in twenty four, sir," Cam promised, waving at him.

"Twenty eight, Cam," Daniel protested. "Atlantis is on a twenty eight hour day."

Cam waved him off, turning to Mohinder and Peter. "Doc? After you."

Mohinder took a couple of steps, glancing at Peter. "Are you ready?" Peter nodded, striding past him and through the wormhole.

Casey froze, staring around. Something had changed, and nothing had changed, and he couldn't pick out what was upsetting him.

Dominic was suddenly at his shoulder. "Feel that?" he muttered.

"Mmm-hmm. What was it?"

"Oh. No idea. I hoped you'd know."

"No." He glanced back at the team, catching each of their eyes. "They don't either."

"Casey?" Daniel asked from above him on the ramp. "Something wrong?"

"No," he said automatically. "Just taking a breath."

"It's cold, but that's the worst of it. It's really quick," Daniel promised. "Come on."

Casey stepped up onto the ramp, feeling Dominic still at his shoulder and knowing without looking that the others had stepped up to flank RJ. Daniel moved to one side, letting all five pass him before joining Cam at the back of the line.

The cold sank right to his bones; the tiger howled, completely bewildered. Casey was already stancing when he arrived at the other end of the wormhole. Dominic bumped him from behind and he spun, claws out.

Dominic blinked, taking a quick step to the side. "Casey?"

"Sorry." Casey shook it off, feeling the warmth of the room replace the bone deep chill.

"Uh-huh." Dominic was still watching him oddly, but both turned when RJ emerged.

He was half wolf already, hands and eyes all wrong; Theo and Lily backed up quickly, aiming to block the line of sight from the soldiers on the edges of the room.

"RJ?" Casey said warily, taking one step forward. Dominic had half-turned, watching the room, but he matched his move to Casey's and kept them back to back.

Daniel and Cam came through; the wormhole died, and Daniel dragged Cam backwards under the empty 'Gate as RJ snarled at them. "Stand down!" he was yelling; Casey vaguely registered more soldiers arriving, but Cam was echoing Daniel and no one was firing.

RJ shuddered, turning his back on Casey and Dominic and pulling his hands into his chest; Lily caught Casey's eye and nodded quickly.

"RJ," Casey repeated.

"Yeah." RJ's voice was shaky, but Casey didn't think it was noticeable to anyone else. "That was I_cold_/I."

"Yeah, it got me like that, too." Casey turned, looking for Daniel. "He's fine," he said, more loudly.

"He's fine," Daniel repeated to the woman he was standing with.

"Good," she said, a little weakly.

"RJ, come meet our host," Dominic said, clapping a hand on RJ's shoulder. RJ jerked, but he turned and followed Dominic towards Daniel.

Casey waited for Lily and Theo. "You two Ok?" he murmured.

"That was really cold," Lily whispered. "Yeah, we're fine."

"Good."

"Casey," Daniel said as they reached the small group, "this is Dr Weir and Colonel Sheppard."

"Nice to meet you." Casey shook the hand Dr Weir offered, nodding to Colonel Sheppard. "Theo and Lily."

"Pleasure," Dr Weir said. "We have quarters ready, if you'd like to get settled in."

"Thank you," Casey said, glancing at RJ. "I think we'd appreciate that."

"Our doctor will need to confer with Doctor Suresh, but he'll be along shortly after that, Mr James."

"RJ," RJ said patiently. "My name is RJ."

"RJ," Dr Weir repeated, smiling. "Is there anything else you need?"

"I think we're good, thanks," Dominic answered.

"I would like to talk to you later about the vision you had. The fight? We may be able to pin down a location."

"You know where I'll be," RJ said lightly.

Dr Weir nodded, glancing at Colonel Sheppard. "This way," he said, turning away. "Doctor Suresh?"

"Thank you," Mohinder said, breaking off a hurried conversation with Peter.

"Mr Petrelli?" Dr Weir asked. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, thanks. I'm just along for the ride." He followed Mohinder, pretending not to notice the two soldiers who fell in behind him.

"That went well," Weir murmured to Daniel.

"Actually, that did go well."

"That fills me with confidence. John'll be back in a few minutes, we'll debrief then?"

Cam nodded, glancing at SG14. "Alright, boys, stand down for now."

"Major Lorne!" Elizabeth called. "Please show SG14 to the barracks."

"Yes ma'am," Lorne agreed, nodding to the team and heading away.

***

"Well, that was fun," Casey murmured, looking around the room. They'd been given three; they'd looked at each other and, as one, headed for RJ's. Daniel and Cam were further down the corridor, which dead ended just past RJ's door, and Peter and Mohinder were in the next corridor along.

"No one attacked anyone and we're all fine. I'd say it went Ok," Lily said brightly.

"Have you guys looked out here?" Dominic asked wonderingly from the window. RJ didn't move, but the others went to join him.

The room was a few stories up and they could see the Control tower and out beyond it as far as one of the piers. The sea sparkled in the sun, throwing reflections back onto the towers.

"The Ancients gave this up?" Casey murmured, craning to see beyond the pier. "How do you leave this behind?"

"Careful, Casey," RJ said from behind them. "We'll start thinking you don't want to come home."

Casey bit his lip, firmly quelling the impulse to answer, 'But _this_ is home.' "No," he said instead. "Of course I want to come home. But this is beautiful."

RJ joined them; Casey moved aside reluctantly to make room for him. "It is beautiful," he agreed, studying the view. "But it's not home."

***

"When you said 'turning into a wolf' I thought you meant metaphorically," Elizabeth protested. "How is Carson supposed to work with him if he keeps attacking him?"

"He hasn't attacked anyone yet," Daniel pointed out.

"How does one metaphorically turn into a wolf?" Cam asked curiously.

John glanced uncertainly at him before asking, "Is he a security risk?"

"The wolf seems to come out when RJ feels threatened. Don't threaten him, don't threaten the kids, you should be fine."

"No problem at all," John muttered.

"Carson?" Elizabeth asked, ignoring him. "Have you had a chance to talk with Dr Suresh?"

"Aye. Only very briefly, of course, but I've studied his work and I think we may have a treatment. I'll need to talk to Mr James…"

"RJ," Daniel and Elizabeth said together.

"RJ," Carson repeated. "But I think we should be fine."

"Good. I want to talk to him before you start any treatment."

"I'll keep you updated," Carson agreed.

"Good," she repeated. "Colonel Mitchell, Major Lorne's team are going on a supply run. Would you like to go along?"

"Nah. Someone has to keep an eye on Jackson…all this Ancient writing, he's liable to forget to eat."

"Hey," Daniel protested mildly.

"Fair enough," Elizabeth said quickly. "Dismissed, then."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty One

After a while Theo and Lily ventured out to see what the food was like. One of the soldiers at the end of the corridor accompanied them, replaced moments later by another.

"Efficient," Dominic commented, watching from RJ's door. Neither of the guards looked at him; they hadn't seemed surprised that the whole team had been camped out in RJ's ever since their arrival.

Casey was back at the window, still transfixed by the view, and didn't answer. RJ looked up from testing the bed, though, smiling. "Gotta make sure the wolf doesn't go on the rampage."

"I'm not sure they're worried about that." Dominic stepped back into the room, letting the door close behind him. "Casey, you're gonna have that view memorised pretty soon."

"Hmm," Casey said absently, not turning.

"Casey!"

"What, Dom? I heard you." He still didn't turn. "Come and look at this."

Dominic glanced at RJ before going to join him. Dusk had fallen, the sun somewhere on the other side of the city, and the stars were starting to come out; the ocean was deeper blue, now, and the lights in the central tower and surrounding areas were coming on.

"We can't even see those stars from Earth," Casey murmured.

"Yeah," Dominic agreed slowly. "Look, you sure you're Ok?"

There was a tap at the door before Casey could answer; Dominic glanced at RJ, making sure he was ready for visitors. "Come in!"

The man standing there was wearing the standard expedition uniform; his had blue trim, which might have meant more if Dominic could remember Daniel's briefing on the civilians of the expedition. "I'm Dr Beckett. Just looking for Mr…for RJ."

"You've found him," RJ said, taking a step forward.

"Ah, RJ." Carson offered a hand, withdrawing it without any apparent surprise when RJ didn't move to take it. "I've spoken to Dr Suresh; I believe we have a treatment. We're prepared to begin in the morning, if that suits you."

"And this treatment is…"

"Quite complicated. Basically we'll be manipulating your DNA to return it to its' original formation. Luckily we have your records, as a blood donor. It's quite safe; in the worst case, we won't be able to change anything and your Meta mutation will fully manifest."

"That's a pretty bad worst case," Dominic noted. "The best case?"

"Best case, we'll be able to fully correct your ATA and your Meta will be blocked again."

"No more wolf?" RJ asked.

"No more wolf. We've calculated an eighty three percent chance this will be successful."

"That sounds good," Casey said, turning away from the window to watch them. "RJ?" RJ nodded quietly, and Casey added, "One of us will go with him, just in case."

"It'll take a while," Dr Beckett warned. "Several hours, perhaps."

"We'll trade off if we need to." Casey didn't back down, and Dr Beckett nodded reluctantly.

"I'll make the arrangements. RJ, Dr Weir would like to talk to you, if you're feeling up to it. I can take you up."

"Well, Mom?" RJ asked, looking at Casey. "Am I feeling up to it?"

Casey considered him for a moment. "Yeah. Dom, you wanna go?"

"I'm good. Dr Beckett, will those guards get me something to eat? Lil and Theo went off a while ago, but they haven't come back."

"I'll get something sent up to you." Dr Beckett glanced at Casey and RJ, gesturing towards the door.

"Oh, Dr Beckett?" Dominic added just before he closed the door. RJ and Casey stopped out in the corridor; Beckett stepped back inside, letting the door close.

"Something wrong, Dominic?"

"I'm not sure. Casey's been…pretty distracted, since we got here. I wondered if it was something to do with the ATA, maybe?"

"It can happen. There's a mental component to Ancient technology; sometimes the ATA can be a wee bit distracting if you're not used to it. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks."

The door slid open and Casey looked back in. "Dom, problem?"

"No. Just telling the good doctor what I like to eat." He grinned easily, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers behind his head. "You go have fun."

"Sure," Casey said slowly, stepping back from the door. Beckett followed him out into the corridor, leaving Dominic alone.

***

Peter was slumped in a chair at the mess, idly telekinetically spinning a cup on the table in front of him, when Theo and Lily dropped into the seats opposite him.

"Bored?" Lily asked sympathetically. "Us too. We had a look around, but there's nothing really to do."

"Mohinder's talking to their doctor," Peter agreed.

"Is that wise?" Theo asked, looking at the cup spinning between them.

Peter raised an eyebrow; the cup followed, hovering in front of Theo's face. Lily glanced around uncomfortably; their guard was watching carefully, but he didn't seem especially worried, and this late at night there were only a few other people in the mess.

Peter let the cup rest on the desk again. "Excuse me?" he said, raising his voice.

"Yes, sir," the guard answered.

"Do you have a gym?"

"Yes, sir, but I'm afraid it's in use at the moment. If you'd like to wait about forty five minutes, it'll be open then."

"What's happening?" Lily asked.

"Miss Emmagen is leading a self defence class."

"Oh! Can we go and watch? Does she allow that?"

"I'll find out for you," he offered, touching his radio and beginning a quiet conversation.

"Do you fight?" Theo asked Peter.

Peter laughed softly. "Not like you do." He laid his hand, palm up, on the table; electricity danced between his fingers. "I know a little; New York, New York…but I don't need it much. I never did like hurting other people, even when it was necessary."

"You're welcome to go and watch," the guard told them. "I'll escort you."

"Thanks!" Lily said, bouncing to her feet and dragging Theo after her. Peter smiled faintly at her enthusiasm, following the pair.

The gym was only a couple of levels away; their guard opened the door but didn't go in, taking up station just outside. Lily, looking much more serious, led them in.

A woman…Emmagen, Peter assumed…was drilling several soldiers in forms using two sticks. The soldiers seemed to be doing well to Peter's eye, until Emmagen stopped them, took the sticks from the nearest soldier and demonstrated the move she was teaching them. Her movements were much smoother and more assured than those of the men.

Lily eased onto a bench, watching intently; Theo stepped past her and turned to watch the men. Peter stood on Lily's other side. The drill didn't mean as much to him as it obviously did to the teens, but he could appreciate the smoothness of the moves.

The lesson went on for another twenty minutes or so before Emmagen called it to a halt, dismissing the men and moving to a bench on the far side of the room. She took a long drink, watching the men file out and smiling at the good natured ribbing from several of them.

Lily bounced to her feet, crossing the room. "That was amazing."

"Thank you."

"I'm Lily."

"From the Earth group. Yes. I am Teyla Emmagen." She held out a hand for Lily to shake.

"May I try?" Lily gestured to the sticks resting against the bench.

"Those in the rack by the door are lighter. More suitable for a beginner."

"Oh, I'm not a total beginner." Lily crossed to the rack, testing several sticks before she found two she liked. "Back at home I fight with a weapon called a bo. It's one stick about as long as two of these put together." She held the two together to demonstrate.

"Colonel Sheppard has spoken of this weapon, but I believe he calls it a quarterstaff."

"Quarterstaff's a little bit longer." Lily swung the sticks a few times, adjusting her grip until she was happy and falling into a ready stance, eyeing Teyla challengingly.

Teyla smiled, tying back her hair and picking up her own weapons, coming to face Lily. "Ready?"

"Ready."

They started off slowly, Teyla attacking, Lily defending. After several minutes, obviously more confident, Lily switched to attacking; they were moving faster, now, but still not quite full speed. Teyla was smiling, but Lily was concentrating fiercely.

Abruptly she shoved Teyla back, off balance, and raised her hand for the final strike. Teyla recovered far more quickly than Lily had planned for, though, striking her just behind the knee to bring her down.

"I yield!" Lily gasped, letting both hands relax and dropping her weapon. Teyla pulled up just short of landing the blow, smiling and reaching down to pull her to her feet.

"That was very good," she complimented the younger girl, going to take another drink before offering the bottle to her.

"Not good enough," Lily said ruefully, taking the bottle from her. "I thought I had you at the end. How do you do that…" She twirled one of the sticks in a loose figure of eight.

"Lily, let her catch her breath," Theo advised her, ducking neatly under her swing to take the second stick from her. "I'm Theo," he added to Teyla.

"Do you also fight with a bo?" she asked, watching him test the weapon.

"No. My weapon is called tonfa. It's a little shorter than this, and there's a handle…" He measured it out. "So you can spin the whole thing, in and out." He demonstrated, spinning the stick.

"Theo's very skilled with the tonfa," Lily added.

Teyla gestured to the floor. "Do you wish to…"

"No," Theo said quickly, passing the stick back to Lily. "Thank you. Maybe later."

"Teyla!" Colonel Sheppard was leaning in the door when they turned. "Have you seen…there you are, Mr Petrelli."

"Here I am," Peter agreed, rising to his feet. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah. Elizabeth wants to talk to you." He pulled a set of sticks from the rack, twirling them lightly.

"Where's Mohinder?" Peter asked.

"Down in the infirmary with Dr Beckett. We can head down there after if you want."

"Yeah. Thanks. It's Peter, by the way."

"Peter," Colonel Sheppard repeated, very deliberately not offering his own name.

"We should go, too," Lily said quickly, slipping her sticks back into the rack. "Thanks so much for the lesson, Teyla."

Peter paused in the doorway, looking back. "She didn't teach you anything."

"Yeah, she did. Next time that move won't work."

Teyla smiled, bowing slightly. "I look forward to it."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22

Peter wasn't paying much attention to where they were going; he was skimming the thoughts around him, listening for Sylar's mental voice. He was being careful not to hear too much from any one person, staying only long enough to be sure Sylar wasn't anywhere in the vicinity.

"RJ's still in there," Sheppard commented. Peter looked up, startled, only realising then they were in Control and RJ and Casey were in Dr Weir's office.

"I shouldn't go in if he's there." Peter hesitated, studying them through the glass.

"Why not?"

"Because we…" He stopped, glowering. "You got the reports."

Sheppard shrugged, glancing over the railing. "Lorne!"

"Yes sir?" one of the soldiers below called.

"Mr Petrelli's coming down there for a couple minutes."

"Yes sir!"

Still scowling, Peter turned away, heading down the stairs and wandering towards the 'Gate. Sheppard smiled faintly, turning to Elizabeth's door and miming knocking.

Elizabeth scowled at John, gesturing him in. "Thank you, RJ," she added. "That's very helpful."

RJ nodded but didn't answer; Casey glanced sideways at him, but he didn't seem particularly worried.

"Any luck?" John asked, coming around behind her to read her scribbled notes.

"Yes, RJ was able to tell us several things that will help us narrow it down."

John tapped the sheet of paper idly; when she glanced down, distracted by the movement, he was underlining _Rocks, grass, dirt_ and half-covering _clouds, slightly yellow sky_. "So I see. Peter's here." Casey and RJ both tensed, looking around; John added, "He's down in the 'Gate room. Didn't want to meet you."

"That's good," Casey murmured. "Are we done?"

"Has Carson spoken to you?"

"Carson," RJ repeated thoughtfully.

"Dr Beckett," John corrected himself.

"Yeah, he wants to start tomorrow morning." Casey glanced briefly at RJ. "One of us will be staying with RJ."

"Yes, I thought you might," Elizabeth agreed. "As long as you follow Carson's instructions, there shouldn't be a problem."

Casey nodded. "RJ, you ready?"

RJ rose to his feet, bowing politely to Elizabeth. "Dr Weir."

"RJ."

RJ turned and headed out; Casey followed him, glancing over the railing at where Peter was still studying the 'Gate.

"Lorne!" John called; Lorne glanced up, nodding before speaking quietly to Peter.

"Is that really all he gave us?" John asked, motioning to the notes.

"Apparently, the focus of the dream was Peter, not really what the team was doing. He does remember that Dominic wasn't…" she hesitated.

"Morphed?" he suggested, moving around behind her again as Peter came in.

"Yes. Peter, thank you for joining us."

"Is something wrong?" he asked mildly.

"Not at all. I was curious about the dream you seem to have shared with RJ. I wondered if there were any details that might help us narrow down the location."

"I was there to meet RJ, not look at the scenery," Peter pointed out.

"Even a tiny detail? Anything you can think of will really help us."

He sighed, tapping one finger on the table. "It might have been some kind of quarry. They were throwing up a lot of dust."

"A desert maybe?" John suggested, watching Elizabeth pretend to write it down.

"No. Not hot enough, and it was definitely dust, not sand. Maybe not a quarry, actually; I think there was grass underfoot. Rocks in the background, though."

Elizabeth added that to her list. "Alright. Could you see the 'Gate?"

"I don't remember. But even if I had, it wouldn't have meant anything to me."

"No, of course it wouldn't have. What about the kids?"

"I couldn't see them very well; they were fighting. And I only saw the Wraith for a second, too."

"How many Wraith?" John asked.

"Maybe six? Really, I couldn't see that well. Too much dust."

"So the fight must have been going on for a while. Peter, how literal are your dreams, usually?"

"Details can be different. I had a dream a few months ago…it was in a different part of New York when it happened, but almost everything else was the same."

"I see. Alright, well, thank you, Peter. If you think of anything else, please let me know."

"Yeah." Peter glanced at John.

"I'll take you down to the infirmary. Elizabeth, I'll be back up later on. I have to go find McKay."

Elizabeth nodded, waving them off and going back to her file.

***

"Hey, Rodney?"

"I'm busy," McKay snapped, not looking up.

"So I can see." He leaned over Zelenka's desk to murmur, "It's late, Doc. Bed time." Zelenka nodded, shutting down his computer before hurrying out.

"I have actual work to do, you know," Rodney snapped. "Important work."

"Yes, you do." John took the control pad from him, perching on the desk.

"Hey!"

"This new sensor programme of yours. How well can it distinguish?"

"What do you want to see?" McKay snatched for the pad, scowling when John tucked it behind himself.

"All the ATA and Meta holders."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Might be handy some day."

Rodney frowned. "Are those kids dangerous?"

"No. I don't think so. But if RJ goes wolf, or Sylar gets here, it might be handy."

"I can't pick them out…pad, please…but I can tell the system who they are if I know where they are, and it'll keep them flagged."

"That might do it. Can you do that on the move?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Anytime you see them…or Mohinder, for that matter…flag 'em."

"Right. Can I get back to work now?"

"No. It's late. Go get some rest and worry about the work in the morning."

"I'm right in the middle of…"

John snatched the control pad back, saving whatever he'd been working on before turning it off. "Finished now. Have you eaten?"

"Yes!"

"Good, then you can go straight to bed. Come on." He caught Rodney's collar, jerking him lightly.

"Hey!"

***

Dominic opened his eyes, not quite sure what had woken him. The room was dark and silent: light was reflecting in through the window from somewhere, but it only seemed to deepen the shadows.

Dominic frowned, holding his breath and counting. When he reached twenty without hearing anything, he sat upright. "RJ? Uh—lights?"

The lights came on at about half and he grinned, throwing back his blanket. "Cool."

Unfortunately the light showed what he'd already known; he was alone in the room. Scrambling off the bed, he tugged a tshirt on. The door opened as soon as he got near it; the guard outside—only one, he noted absently—looked up as he stepped into the corridor.

"Did my friend come out here? He's not inside," Dominic said.

The guard straightened, frowning. "He didn't come out. He must be in there."

"He's not." Dominic ducked back inside anyway, searching the room again.

"No sir, he did not pass me," the guard was saying into his radio. Ignoring him, Dominic banged on the others' doors.

Theo opened his door, clearly ready to yell; Dominic forestalled him by saying "RJ's missing."

Theo's eyes widened and he turned, talking to Casey over his shoulder. Dominic raked a hand through his hair, turning to see Cam at his door.

"Lose something?" the colonel drawled. Dominic bristled, ready to snap at him, but Lily was suddenly there. She caught at his arm, tugging him to one side of the corridor. When Cam didn't react Dominic realised he'd been addressing the guard.

"Sir, he did not pass me," the guard insisted.

"What happened?" Casey asked, joining them with Theo. Daniel squeezed past Cam to stand beside him.

"He's just not here. I didn't hear anything, see anything."

"You're awake," Daniel pointed out. "You must have heard something."

Dominic grimaced. "Maybe. But RJ was already gone. No one was moving in there, not when I woke up."

"What was the noise?" Casey asked, leading them into Dominic's room as Sheppard arrived with more soldiers.

"I don't know. I didn't really hear it, it just woke me up." The light in the room strengthened and he glanced around distractedly. "Thanks."

"A noise like a word?" Lily prodded him. "A mechanical noise, a beep maybe, or the door opening?"

"Casey, is this really the time?" Theo asked. Dominic glanced around; Casey was back at the window with that damned absorbed look in his eyes. "Case?"

"Get Colonel Sheppard."

Daniel, closest to the door, leaned out to catch his attention.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, touching Casey's arm. Like the rest of the boys he was wearing a tshirt, and his skin was cool to the touch.

He looked up as Colonel Sheppard came in, followed by Cam and Dr Weir. "RJ didn't pass your guard."

"There's no other way out of here," Sheppard said flatly.

"There is. RJ changed; maybe he dreamed something that upset him, or he just wasn't fighting as hard, but he changed. Atlantis knew it had happened, and she wanted him away from anyone he could hurt. So she gave him an out." Casey turned, touching the window with one hand.

It swung open, squealing a little. Sheppard frowned, coming to join him and peering at the walkway a level below. "He jumped from here?"

"He's only half wolf at the moment…or he was then. Stronger and faster than a man, more intelligent than a wolf. And he'll be stuck that way soon."

Dr Weir touched her radio. "Rodney? We need your new scanner program. Please join us in the visitor's quarters. Those windows aren't supposed to open," she added to Sheppard.

"They don't, usually." He turned to Casey. "How do _you_ know what Atlantis did?"

Casey looked towards him, eyes not quite focused. "Don't you?"

"He's been doing that since we got here," Dominic offered. "Dr Beckett said not to worry about it, that it's just his ATA."

"The city doesn't talk to us," Sheppard protested.

"Yes it does," Theo said.

"Well, it doesn't talk, exactly," Lily said at the same time.

"Dr Suresh and that other guy are outside," Dr McKay announced, pushing through the group. "Why am I here?"

Dr Weir caught Sheppard's eye. "I'll go deal with them." Cam slipped in as she left, eyeing Daniel questioningly.

"RJ's gone missing," Sheppard was telling McKay. "He went out the window."

"Those windows don't open, that's why we stuck them in here. No escape risk. Well, low escape risk."

Casey opened the window again. "Escape risk," he said flatly.

"That shouldn't be possible. Who are you? No, never mind that. Have we tested his ATA?"

"Focus, Rodney," Sheppard snapped. "We've got a werewolf running around the city. Can you find him?"

"Yeah, give me a second." Rodney lifted his computer, typing rapidly.

"Your men can't go near him," Casey told Sheppard.

"I'm about twenty seconds from throwing all of you in the brig, and you're not helping!"

"Your brig wouldn't hold us," he said calmly. "And your men can't go near him because he'll attack them. Right now he's running on the wolf's instincts; this is not his territory, and you are enemies."

"He'll listen to us," Lily added, stepping forward to flank Casey.

"We're his pack," Dominic agreed.

"We're his team. We'll bring him home," Theo finished.

"Sheppard?" McKay said. "I've got a life sign on the east pier."

"That's the other side of the city! Is it RJ?"

"No, I thought I'd just tell you where random members of the expedition are. Of course it's RJ."

"You're sure?" Dominic asked, turning to snatch a hoodie from the end of the bed.

"Given that it seems to be fluctuating between human and lupine, I'd say the chances are pretty good."

"Warn the nearest teams," Sheppard told him. "Tell them not to approach. We're on the way. Colonel?"

Cam nodded, turning to the nearest soldier. "Give me that." The soldier handed over his weapon without hesitation.

"Call Ronon, tell him where we're going," Sheppard told McKay. "Let's go."

De Weir was still arguing with Peter and Mohinder in the corridor; when he saw them, Peter broke off to say quickly, "I can help you."

"No." Sheppard didn't stop, steering the teens onwards.

Until he stopped as though he'd run into a wall. He revolved without moving his feet, as though on a turntable, to look at Peter.

"I can help you," he repeated quietly.

"Peter," Mohinder said warningly. Sheppard staggered, catching himself on the wall.

"You can't go near RJ anyway," Casey reminded him.

"I just need a line of sight. If he's outside, I don't need to be near him."

"You do that to any of my men, I'll put you off this base," Sheppard warned him. Dominic suddenly realised he was furious with the whole situation.

Peter only nodded; Sheppard turned abruptly, gesturing them on.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Three

The transporter was weirdly cool, but the hike across the rest of the city wasn't much fun. Sheppard got word just after they left the transporter that RJ had been spotted, and he picked up the pace until they were running.

He halted as they stepped onto the pier. The breeze off the water was freezing, and he stripped off his jacket and passed it to Lily as he spoke. "RJ's down at the end, maybe five hundred metres. That work for you?"

"I can't see him from here," Peter said quietly.

"That way." Sheppard gestured to the left. "There's a raised walkway, it's clear of everything else. You'll be able to see him from there."

Another man, dressed in well-worn leather and wearing dreads, joined them from the corridor; Sheppard nodded at him, adding to Peter, "Ronon'll go with you."

Peter nodded, turning to head to the walkway. Sheppard led the others rapidly on, pausing as they reached the open space at the end of the pier.

RJ was crouched at the end, staring out across the water. The two moons seemed to be confusing him; he was looking back and forth between them.

"RJ?" Casey called, taking a step forward.

"Tell Peter not to do anything unless we tell him," Theo told Sheppard, who repeated the instruction into his radio.

"_I've got a shot,_" Ronon told him.

"No. Wait."

"_I can take him down_."

"Wait," Sheppard repeated.

Casey eased forward another couple of steps. "RJ."

RJ spun, snarling, and Casey lifted his hands. "Ok. RJ, you in there?"

Dominic eased up to Casey's shoulder. "Careful, Case."

"Yeah. R…"

He ducked, pulling Dominic with him, as RJ lunged at them. Lily and Theo pushed back several steps, forcing Sheppard with them, before surging forward again to join the other two.

"_Sheppard?_" Ronon growled on the radio.

"Stay put!" he ordered, lifting his gun and not quite aiming it at them. Lily glanced over her shoulder, shifting to block his aim. Cam was watching carefully, but he wasn't aiming, gun held loosely at his side.

"RJ, stop," Casey ordered. "It's us. Come on, man."

RJ snapped at him, but he didn't seem to be trying to hurt him. Casey took a step back anyway, out of the circle the others had formed.

"RJ," Dominic said quietly. "Come on back to us."

"Come on, RJ, you can do it," Theo added.

"_Sheppard, he's going to attack you,"_ Ronon warned him suddenly. Lily glanced back in alarm, obviously overhearing, and in her moment of distraction RJ lunged.

And froze in midair, unable to move any closer. Sheppard glanced back at Peter and Ronon, barely visible in the distance, and waved vaguely at them.

Lily approached RJ slowly; his eyes tracked her, but that was all he could move. "RJ?" she said, reaching out to touch him but changing her mind at the last minute.

RJ shuddered, eyes closing tightly, and the air around him flared bright purple. Dominic caught Lily's arm, yanking her back a step, and the others fell back as well.

When the light finally faded RJ was back to himself; Peter relaxed the telekinetic hold, easing him back onto the decking.

"RJ," Lily said in relief, touching his arm. RJ turned into the touch and she hugged him easily. "You alright?"

"What are we doing out here?" he asked, glancing around at the others.

"Following you," Dominic said bluntly, offering him the hoodie. "You snuck out of our room."

"Probably wanted to get away from your snoring," Theo said, nudging him.

"Oh, I'm sure that was it," Casey agreed. "Lil, you ready to get back inside?"

"Definitely. Although the jacket's really nice."

"Yeah, it suits you. You should get one of those."

"You like it better than my biker jacket?"

"Well, the biker jacket's really more of an evil look. This one's not."

They met Peter and Ronon back near the door. "You ok?" Peter asked.

"We're cold," Casey answered before RJ could. "Can we go back inside?"

"No," Sheppard said. "RJ, that going to happen again?"

"I didn't know it was going to happen this time, so I can't really say. I hope not. It's a little disconcerting."

"We're going to the infirmary. Get started on your treatment right away." RJ nodded easily and Sheppard half-turned, touching his radio. "McKay, get Carson and Dr Suresh down to the infirmary. We need to get started on this before someone gets hurt."

"_Right_."

And then, because he didn't have enough to worry about, Alice appeared. "Zelenka's in trouble."

***

"I don't know," Rodney said for the tenth time. "Sheppard just said to get you to the infirmary. RJ went crazy or something, he wants you to start the treatment."

"I'm not ready!" Carson protested. "I need to set up the equipment, I need to prepare, I need to…"

"Do all of that fast," Elizabeth suggested. "They're on the way back."

"_McKay,_" John said abruptly. "_Where's Radek?_"

"What?"

"_Radek_," he repeated impatiently. "_Where is he?_"

"Why?" Rodney was already typing at his computer.

"_Because he's not answering his radio. Just look for him, ok?"_

"John, what's going on?" Elizabeth asked warily.

"He's not in his quarters," Rodney said, almost overlapping her. "Or the science lab."

"What's going on?" Carson asked.

"Do we need to alert security?" Elizabeth asked carefully.

There was some brief chatter before John said "_No. It's probably a false alarm. Colonel Mitchell's on his way up to you and we're on the way back in, see you in a few._"

"What's happening?" Carson asked again.

"I'm sure it's nothing. You need to focus on RJ. Where's Dr Suresh?"

***

"You think this is Sylar?" John asked Peter.

"Zelenka's your Meta, right? It has to be him."

"The only strangers on the base are you guys. No one else has come through, not since before Joe Spencer died."

Peter shook his head. "He's here. Can you find your Meta?"

John winced. "Ronon, take RJ down to the infirmary and then meet back up with us, alright?"

"I can find my way," RJ offered.

"No. But if you go wolf again, Ronon's going to shoot you."

"I could shoot him now, carry him down," Ronon offered.

"No. Just get him there and then find us."

"I'll go with you," Lily offered.

"Lil, stay with the team. I'm fine. No wolf, see?" He held up both hands, which didn't exactly reassure them; the bruising was up to his elbows and spreading. "Help 'em find Zelenka."

Lily nodded reluctantly; Ronon and RJ headed inside, Cam peeling off to follow them, and John turned to Alice, still waiting patiently. "Where is Zelenka?"

Peter frowned, starting to answer, but Dominic waved him to silence.

"Two twelve beta. He is unhurt, at the moment. Merely scared." Alice glanced around the group. "John, I think most of them can see me."

"Can they?" John followed her gaze. "Can you see her?"

"I can see…something," Dominic offered. "Not sure what it is, though." He held out one hand, palm down, just above the level of her head.

"I can see what it is," Casey said quietly. "Where's two twelve beta?"

"Near the Control tower," Alice told him.

Peter glanced at Lily, who shook her head. "I can't see anything."

"Near Control," John repeated for their benefit. "Thanks, Alice. Let us know if anything changes."

Alice nodded, fading out, and John turned towards the door. "Let's go."

"Do we have to run?" Theo asked quietly, following him.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24

"That's the infirmary," Ronon told RJ. "Have fun."

"Thanks," RJ said carefully, wandering towards it. "Good luck with your hunt."

Ronon spun his weapon, holstering it and grinning at him before heading back the way he'd come. "Sheppard, where are you?"

RJ kept going, meeting Lorne just outside the infirmary. "Where's your escort?" the major asked, frowning at the empty corridor.

"Gone to look for someone."

"Zelenka. Yeah, I heard. Where are you going?"

RJ gestured to the door of the infirmary. "Gotta start my treatment."

Lorne leaned in the door, glancing around. "Doc? You expecting RJ?"

"Yes. Is he here?" Carson asked from inside.

"Yeah." Lorne looked back at him. "Go ahead. You know where Sheppard and the others are?"

"Looking for Zelenka."

"Right. Thanks." He headed on down the corridor and RJ continued into the infirmary.

"Ah, RJ, there you are. Good." Carson smiled at him, hurrying past. "Now we're still waiting for Dr Suresh, but I'm going to ask you to hop up here and we'll start the scans, is that alright?" He hesitated, studying the other man. "Are ye quite yourself?"

RJ nodded. "More or less. Touching is probably a no."

"Alright. I think we can work around that for now, at least. Can you hop up here?" He patted the nearest bed. "Lie down, if you don't mind. I'll be right back."

***

Mohinder glanced over the desk, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything he was going to need. Dr Beckett had seemed worried when he called; RJ was degenerating faster than they'd thought and they had to move.

One of the soldiers who'd come through from Earth with them paused in the doorway. "Doc? I thought you were gone to the infirmary?"

"I'm on my way," Mohinder said without looking up.

"Aw, don't do that." His voice had changed, and Mohinder looked up sharply.

Sylar grinned. "I thought we could have some quality time. Get all caught up."

Mohinder backed up, slowly, one hand out in front of him. "Sylar…"

"Oh, it's Lieutenant Starl now." He tapped his name tag. "Didn't you see?"

"Really." Mohinder hit the corner of the desk, easing around it. "Are you planning on continuing your Air Force career?"

"Oh, I don't think so. Might get a bit limiting after a while."

"What is it they say? Join the Air Force, see the world? Or worlds, I suppose."

"Yes," Sylar agreed. "You should probably stop backing away. You know it's not going to help."

It occurred to Mohinder that this was the second painting, and he had to fight the urge to look over his shoulder at the deep shadow in one corner. It was ridiculous; he knew he was alone, but on the other hand, Peter was in the city…

"Where is the missing crewman? Zelenka?" he asked.

"Oh, he's perfectly safe. Keeping fresh for me. Do you know what his ability is?"

"He hasn't manifested." Mohinder eased around the desk as Sylar came towards him, keeping it between them.

"Is that what they told you?" He laughed softly. "Well, that's just not true, Mohinder. He has manifested."

"And Joe Spencer? We know he was not manifested."

"I didn't kill him for his ability! I killed him for this. To get _here_." He gestured around. "Zelenka's ability will be very useful to me. And I'll take Peter's, too."

"Peter's not here," Mohinder said automatically, and then bit his lip. Sylar had walked through the 'Gate from Earth with them, he knew perfectly well that Peter was on the base.

"He's here somewhere. I'll find him." Sylar shrugged, unconcerned. "But I need you out of the picture." His face altered and Mohinder blinked, suddenly staring at himself. "Can't have you alerting people."

Mohinder turned, making it two steps before Sylar halted him. "I told you that wouldn't help. Turn around."

Mohinder did, eyes flickering briefly to the shadowed corner before looking back at Sylar. "They're expecting me in the infirmary," he warned him.

"They can go on expecting. It's such a shame, I got terribly lost and my guard had vanished!" Sylar spread his hands, looking innocent.

And then he was lying stunned on the ground and Hiro was crouched over him, wide eyed.

"Hiro?"

"Hello!" Hiro waved.

Mohinder waved back automatically, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"No time! You must run. Find Peter!"

"Peter?"

"To stop Sylar!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Later! Run. Talk later!"

Sylar was stirring…

…and then Mohinder was two corridors away, staring at a wall, and when he turned no one was in sight behind him.

"Dr Suresh?" Major Lorne had emerged from a corridor ahead of him, eying him oddly. "Are you alright? They're waiting for you down in the infirmary."

"Sylar," Mohinder said urgently.

Lorne obviously recognised the name; he pulled his gun from his holster, scanning around them. "Where?"

"In the lab. He's…he was…masquerading as Lieutenant Starl. Then he looked like me. I need to…Peter needs to know. And I have to get to the infirmary."

"Yeah." Lorne lowered his gun, gesturing Mohinder towards him. "Come on. This way."

***

"_Colonel Sheppard?_"

John drew the group to a halt, tapping his radio. "Yeah, Major."

"_We have a confirmed sighting of Sylar, sir. He broke into Dr Suresh's lab. He's been impersonating one of the soldiers on SG14._"

"Where is he now?"

"_He was gone by the time I got back there, sir._"

"Alright. Broadcast an order for all non essential personal to stay in quarters, make sure your men stay in groups of two or more, and start a sweep. We're going after Zelenka; I'll check in with you when we know something."

"_Aye sir._"

"I should go," Peter muttered. "He'll be looking for me."

"You can't go on your own," John said firmly. "Not if Sylar can change how he looks."

Ronon jogged around a corner, coming towards them. John pulled his gun from his holster. "Ronon, stop."

"What?" Ronon stopped, eyeing him oddly.

"Sylar's definitely on the base and he can change how he looks. Prove it's you."

Ronon snatched the gun from him, so fast they didn't even see him move, and tossed it back to him before they'd reacted. John looked down at the gun and then shrugged. "Alright. Let's go, then."

Ronon took the lead; Casey dropped quietly back until he was level with John. "Who is she?" he murmured. Ahead of them, Dominic slowed slightly to listen.

"Her name is Alice. She's a research program here on the base. Scanners and memory banks."

"Eyes and mind," Casey said thoughtfully. "But not everyone knows about her."

It wasn't a question, but he answered anyway. "No. Teyla knows about her, and Zelenka, but they can't see her. Lorne can hear her but not see her. And you two." He glanced at Dominic, just ahead of them. "Alice tell you about the window?"

"I didn't see her," Casey half-answered.

"It's because we were Rangers." Dominic stopped pretending not to listen. "Morphing gives you an understanding of the Power. Bone deep and instinctive. Like you and the city."

"But you're not Rangers now, right?"

"It doesn't go away."

"We don't need to see her," Casey added. "You see a person. You hear words. But we don't. We just know."

"Sheppard!" Ronon called from ahead. John pushed through the group, pausing just behind his shoulder. Ahead of them a staircase led down, but water was lapping just under floor level.

"Flooded," he said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked.

"The level below's flooded. That's where we need to go."

Theo shrugged. "We can swim."

"There may not be any air," he warned them.

"I'll check," Casey offered, pulling off his tshirt and passing it to Lily. He caught John's eye, grinning confidently, and then walked down the stairs until he could push off.

"Are we below the water level?" Lily asked curiously.

"Just above it, here." John was watching Ronon, crouched utterly still at the top of the stairs. "It's supposed to be shielded so it doesn't flood, but the shield broke down a while back and we haven't got to drain the whole city yet. There's pockets like this all over the place."

Casey burst up from underwater; Ronon caught his arm, yanking him bodily up onto the deck. "Thanks," he gasped, taking several deep breaths. "There's air," he added to John. "There's a great big room down there, two stories tall, and the water's only this high." He gestured to the opening behind him.

"Right." He looked at the three teens. "You, stay here. Casey, you can show us and then get back here. Peter, can you swim?"

"Yeah." Peter pulled off his sweater, kicking his shoes loose.

Ronon jumped as he was, which didn't surprise John. He left his gun behind, knowing the water would render it useless anyway, but that was the extent of his preparations.

The water was freezing, of course, and he swam as fast as he could to get though. He could sense Peter somewhere behind him as he kicked forward, following the trail of bubbles in Ronon's wake. He was trying to remember the floor plans for this sector…where was there a two-story area?...when he sensed air above and kicked sharply upwards.

Casey's hand was suddenly on his arm, dragging him to one side just before they cleared the surface of the water. John coughed, pulling free to paddle.

"There's an overhang," Casey said, gesturing behind him. "You nearly knocked yourself out. I didn't see it last time, sorry."

Peter shot to the surface behind them, sputtering. "Deeper than I thought," he explained weakly, reaching for the wall to brace himself. "Where are we?"

"Some kind of atrium?" John guessed, looking around. The ceiling, several feet above them, was glass or some kind of glass like material, and the whole room was bright and airy…or would have been, in the daylight.

"Nice," Casey agreed, pushing away from them slightly, "but where are we? I mean, how close to where we should be?"

"This is two twelve alpha. Zelenka should be…" He glanced around, trying to orient himself.

"There." Ronon pointed to a door just visible through the water.

"If we open that and it's not flooded…" Peter trailed off. "Hang on." Taking a deep breath, he dived, powering down to the door and then pushing through it.

"Cool," Casey breathed, drifting back towards the wall.

"You alright?" John asked, eyeing him.

"I'm a tiger. We're not big on water, as a whole." He caught hold of a protrusion on the wall. "It's fine."

"Why didn't you let one of the others come?" John asked, trying very hard not to roll his eyes.

"Because Lily and Theo are cats and Dominic can't swim. Not well, anyway. Hey, here they come."

Peter was coming back through the door; as soon as his head was clear he twisted, looking back as Zelenka followed him, gripping tightly to one hand. Once he was clear they kicked up to the surface, Peter bracing the smaller man to keep his head out of the water.

"Radek, you alright?" John demanded.

Zelenka answered in Czech, caught himself halfway through and shifted to English. "He hit me on the head and tied me up." He lifted one wrist to demonstrate, showing them the red marks there. "But nothing else. I am lucky, I think."

"That's good, I'm glad. Listen, we have to dive again. The way out's underneath us. Can you do it?"

"Diving is not a problem. Staying afloat, this is hard."

"Ronon'll be right behind you, I'll be right in front. We'll help you." He lifted his gaze. "Casey, go."

Casey nodded, taking a deep breath and diving. Peter was right behind him, and once they were gone Sheppard turned to Zelenka. "Ready?"

"Yes." He was shivering, Sheppard noted with concern.

"Stay right behind me. And Ronon, you stick with him, alright?"

Ronon nodded, waiting until they were both below the surface to follow them.

Zelenka flagged halfway through, and Ronon caught his belt, yanking him along. John glanced over his shoulder, saw them coming and sped up, bursting out of the water half a second ahead.

Peter was sprawled over the stairs, out cold. Lily was crouched above him, one hand on his arm but twisted to look down the corridor. Theo was at her shoulder.

And just down the corridor, Casey was fighting another Casey while Dominic watched helplessly. Both Caseys were soaked, both wore the training uniform, and really, if his team mates couldn't tell him apart…

"Which one is it?" John snarled, boosting himself out of the water. Lily jumped, looking back, but it was Theo who answered.

"We lost track. He was a soldier until a minute ago. Said he was looking for you, his unit went down? He knocked Peter over with telekinesis or something, and while we were trying to help him, he jumped Casey."

"Casey, stop!" John yelled, and somewhat to his surprise both backed off, glaring at each other. "Dominic, get back here," he added. Dominic was on the other side of the Caseys, towards the corridor.

Dominic ignored him, as he'd half expected. "Casey, what's my girlfriend's name?"

"Fran," both answered together, scowling at each other.

"Dom?" Lily pushed suddenly to her feet, stepping up to John's side. "Give them your morpher."

"Lil…"

"Sylar doesn't have the gene. He won't be able to work it."

"So he runs off with my morpher?"

Ronon powered up his weapon, the noise very loud in the enclosed corridor. "He won't be running anywhere."

"I'll do it." A Casey held out his hand expectantly.

Dominic slid the bracelet off his wrist, offering it to him. Casey's fingers closed over the other end and a bright red spark jumped from him to Dominic, lighting the whole area.

Dominic immediately yanked him forward, away from the other Casey, who raised both hands. "Dom, that's a trick. He's not me. He's just trick—uh!" He crumpled, energy sparking over him.

"Right." John stepped forward, patting him down quickly. "Think the brig will hold him?" he asked, looking up at Casey.

"I think so." He glanced at Dominic. "Thanks."

Dominic shrugged, slipping his bracelet back on. "Not a big deal."

"Now what?" Lily asked, shrugging out of John's jacket and offering it to a shivering Zelenka.

"Now I take him, Ronon takes Peter, and we go," John answered, lifting the body with a grunt. Either Casey was heavier than he looked, or Sylar tricked their eyes somehow without actually changing.

"You ok?" Theo asked Casey.

"Hmm? Yeah. I'll be glad to get out of here." He took the tshirt Lily offered him, staring at it for a moment before pulling it on.

John tapped his radio, turning away. "Major Lorne, where are you?"

"_Base of the Control tower, sir,_" Lorne answered.

"We have Sylar. Get someone to meet us."

"_Yes sir, we're on the way._"

"And warn Doctor Keller she's about to have patients."

"_Will do.__"_

John put Zelenka in the middle of the group, with Theo and Lily, and let Ronon lead the way. Casey and Dominic seemed content to stay behind Lily, just in front of John.

It was obvious after a few minutes that Zelenka was having trouble, but as soon as he stumbled Dominic stepped up, ducking under his arm, He had to stoop a little to accommodate Zelenka's smaller size, but they seemed to manage well enough so John left them to it.

Cam met them just outside a transporter; the soldiers with him took charge of Sylar, and the medics took Peter. They'd only brought one stretcher, but Zelenka insisted he was able, and they all pretended not to notice of much of his weight Dominic was supporting.

"RJ," Lily said suddenly. "Do you know how he is?"

"Dr Beckett and Dr Suresh are still with him," one of the medics told her. "Everything seems to be going fine, though."

"Thanks." She glanced around at the others. "I'll go sit with him. Casey, you need to change."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Casey agreed.

"Are you sure, Lil?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, you guys go on. Put on something warm. I'll just sit in a corner or something."

They'd reached the infirmary; Dominic gratefully passed Zelenka to an orderly and stretched. "Call us if you need us," he told her.

"I will. Go on." She followed the orderlies inside.

"Sheppard, you need a few minutes?" Cam asked, gesturing vaguely to his dripping wet clothes. Ronon was dry already, John thought with irritation. His leathers never seemed to hold water.

"Yeah. Thanks. Go keep an eye on our guest; I'll be down in a couple minutes."


	26. Chapter 26

Author's note: Chylea, stop trying to give the plot away! :D It won't work, anyway, I'm not telling you anything.

Chapter 25

Lily was starting to get a little stiff, but she was afraid to move; she was well aware that the doctors didn't like her being in here while they were working, and she was being very careful not to irritate them enough to banish her. It might not have made much difference; RJ was out cold and had been, Dr Beckett had told her, for quite a while now. Still, if he woke up unexpectedly he'd likely go wolf straight away and she wanted to be on hand just in case.

"Lily, love, this is going to take a while yet. Are ye sure you don't want to go and rest?" Dr Beckett asked.

"No, thank you. If I'm not in the way, I'd rather stay, just in case."

"You're not in the way. But you cannae be comfortable there."

"It's fine," Lily insisted. "We're used to meditating in corners and things. Honestly, I'm fine."

He gave her a rather dubious look, but he did give up on trying to make her leave, so she counted it as a win. Mohinder hadn't tried to make her leave at all.

"Dr Beckett?" Dr Keller looked around the edge of the screen. "Sir, we're having a problem with Radek, can you come out here for a moment?"

"Go ahead," Mohinder agreed. "We're quite safe for a few minutes more."

"Alright. Dinnae touch anything, I'll be right back."

"His accent's getting stronger," Lily noted, unfolding from her corner and coming to stand by the head of the bed.

"Yes, I believe he's worried. We've encountered one or two minor problems. Nothing to worry about, we've compensated, but he's worried in case the treatment doesn't hold."

"Is that likely?" Lily asked. "I thought you guys were sure this would work."

"We are sure. It will work. It's simply proving harder than we anticipated."

"You're not upsetting the puir lass, are you?" Dr Beckett asked, coming back around the screen and pulling on a fresh pair of gloves. Lily made to move, and he waved her to stay where she was.

"He wasn't upsetting me," she added quickly. "He was telling me you still think it's going to work."

"Of course it's going to work. Have ye no faith, lass?"

"Some," she said with a faint smile.

"Stay where y'are, you're doing no harm there. Mohinder, are you ready for the next stage?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Alright. Lily, this may be upsetting to look at, but he's not being harmed, alright?"

"Alright," she agreed hesitantly.

Mohinder activated the machine; bright lights encompassed RJ, and he screamed.

Casey was standing at the window again, studying the view. "You know, you've already stood there for, like, an hour," Theo told him, tossing his uniform top at him when he turned. "You're going to strain your eyes."

"Sun's coming up," Casey noted, pulling the top on.

"Oh yeah?" Theo came to study the view; the sun was rising in front of them, and sea and sky were streaked with gold and pink. "Nice."

"It is," Casey agreed, dropping onto the nearest bed. "God, I could sleep for a week."

Dominic looked up from the terminal in the corner. "We'll go join Lily, if you want to get some rest."

"Thanks, that'd be great." He stretched, yawning. "Wow, I can't believe how tired I am. I didn't even do anything."

"Tiger doesn't like being wet," Theo noted, tossing a blanket at him. "We'll be back in a while, alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna hang out here. Hey, find out how Peter and Zelenka are doing, yeah?"

"No problem," Dominic assured him. "We'll let you know."

"Thanks." Casey rolled over as they left, turning towards the window again.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door; he rolled off the bed to answer it.

"Sorry," his guard apologised. "Your friends asked me to let you know Peter's already been discharged; Dr Zelenka had a few bad minutes, but he's expected to make a full recovery."

"That's great. Thank you very much."

"No problem. Do you need anything else?"

"No, thanks. I'm just gonna…" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, backing up to let the doors hiss closed.

"That's great," he murmured to himself, looking around the room.

***

The view was even more breathtaking than in the painting. Peter studied it for several minutes, wondering vaguely what the city looked like from the air and fighting the urge to just take off and find out. He was gripping tightly to the rail, ignoring the cold wet feel of it under his fingers.

The wound on his head had healed before any of the medics had really gotten a good look at him, and since he didn't seem to be injured they'd let him go pretty much straight away. His escort had offered to take him back to his quarters, but he'd asked for a little air first. For form's sake, the soldier had remained just inside the balcony door, watching him while still allowing him a little privacy.

The door hissed open and he turned to see Casey standing there. The boy was back in his training uniform and looked oddly uncertain as he examined the balcony from the doorway.

"May I…" He gestured vaguely.

"Yes, of course." Peter automatically stepped back, although half the balcony separated them. Casey took a couple of steps forward, grasping the railing and studying the view. "How's RJ?"

"Still asleep. Lily's with him."

"Are they finished?" Peter asked in surprise. When he'd left the infirmary both doctors had still been deep in the work. "They think it worked?"

"Won't be sure until he wakes up, but they think so."

"That's good." Peter shifted his weight, dropping one hand to rub against his pants. "You know, I painted this scene, back when this started."

"Yeah? Us?"

"The view from this balcony." He gestured vaguely; Casey automatically turned to look. "Me fighting you." Casey went very still, and he added, "Sylar."

"I'm Casey," he said uncertainly. "We tested it."

"No. You're Sylar." Praying that he'd scrubbed his hand dry enough, Peter flicked his wrist, filling his palm with electricity.

***

Sylar was sitting cross legged on the floor of the cells, eyes closed and breathing steady. Disturbingly, he still looked like Casey, and John noted with some anger that no one had bothered to offer him dry clothes. He had to be freezing; the brig was deliberately kept at just under comfort level.

"So," he drawled, folding his arms, "this is the part where you tell me your master plan."

"I'm not Sylar." He didn't move as he spoke.

"No? Want to tell us how the other one made the morpher light up? His friends—sorry, your friends—seemed to believe him."

"A trick." He opened his eyes, rising smoothly to his feet and mirroring John's position. "It flared red. It should have been white; it's Dominic's morpher, no matter who touches it. He just made a light to confuse you."

"Casey told me this brig wouldn't hold him," John said conversationally. "Got a snappy answer for that?"

"No." His eyes flickered to the control panel, and the forcefield turned itself off.

John took two quick steps back, out of the line of fire of the guards at the door. Casey didn't move until the forcefield turned itself back on; then he slowly unfolded his arms, letting them rest by his sides.

"You're not holding me here, John. This is voluntary incarceration. I want to see my team."

John turned to the nearest guard. "Get him something dry to wear. After he's changed, if he moves, shoot him."

Out in the corridor he tapped his radio. "Lorne."

"_Yes, sir?_"

"Put a tail on Casey. No interaction; report directly to me."

"_Yes_, _sir_," Lorne agreed.

"Alice?" he called.

"Yes, John," she said from behind him.

"Who's up with the Rangers?"

"I don't understand the question," she said apologetically.

"I have two Caseys, and they both say they're the real one."

"Ah. Where is the second one?"

"One in the brig, one up with the Rangers."

"I can't help you then, John. Footage from the brig is not retained, therefore I have no memory of it. I cannot examine the Casey in the brig."

"I've seen you in the brig. And there's scanners."

"Yes, there are scanners. And they even work. They're not the problem. The footage from those scanners is not stored anywhere. There is no record of anything that happens in there."

"Can you lie-detect him for me?"

"Scanners are not precise enough to do that anywhere but in the infirmary. Casey's team mates do not seem to doubt his veracity, though they are concerned about his health. They believe he may be ill after his swim earlier."

"But they think he's really Casey?"

"If they don't, they're not talking about it in any way I can detect. But he's not with them; they've only spent a few minutes together since your fight below."

John grimaced, thinking for a moment. "Where is he now?"

"Talking with Peter on a balcony on level seven of the Control Tower."

"Keep an eye on him."

"If he really is Casey, he'll know."

"If he really is Casey, it won't matter."

"_Sir!"_ Lorne's voice was panicked.

"Yeah, Lorne."

"_Casey's vanished!_"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Five

Casey smiled, eyeing the electricity in his hand. "You figured it out. Well done. I wouldn't risk throwing that, this whole area's pretty wet. Might knock out power in the city."

"They put Casey in the brig?" Peter demanded. Even angry as he was, though, he was careful to hold his hand so the guard outside couldn't see it.

"He's a tiger. He should be caged." Casey reached out to touch the railing; Peter jerked away as ice danced along it, freezing the whole length. "Oops. What are you going to do, Peter? All alone, no brother to save you…how long did it take him to die, anyway?"

"My brother's alive," Peter snarled. "And I'm not alone."

"You don't think they can stop me, do you?" He tilted his head towards the door. Peter allowed himself two seconds to look; Lorne had joined the guard, showing him something on a clipboard.

"No. Not them."

"Me," Hiro said from just behind him, and froze the scene before he could turn.

Peter sighed, letting the electricity in his hand dissipate. "Thanks, Hiro. Everything ready?"

"Cheerleader's father has very nice cell ready for him." Hiro studied the view. "This is Atlantis?"

"They call the planet Lantea. The city is Atlantis."

"Beautiful. There are aliens here?"

"I'll introduce you," Peter promised. "Another time, though. Get him into a cell before anything else goes wrong."

Hiro bowed, moving to stand just beside Sylar. Time started back up again and he had time to say "Wha…" before they were both gone.

And then Lorne and the second soldier burst onto the balcony, yelling for Peter to freeze and get his hands up. They were talking over each other and Lorne was trying to report to John at the same time; Peter stood very, very still, waiting for them to calm down.

John appeared a couple of minutes later, waving them both back a step. "Where's Casey?" he demanded.

"In the brig," Peter said quietly. "You let Sylar out."

"And where is he?"

"Taken care of. He won't bother you again."

"See, that's not really good enough. Taken care of how?"

"Our way," Peter said unhelpfully. "He's not dead."

"Wasn't really worried. Where is he?"

"Earth. I can't tell you anymore than that; two friends risked a lot to help me, and I won't put them at more risk for you. Sylar's taken care of. Zelenka's safe."

"Lieutenant," John said without looking away from Peter, "take Mr Petrelli back to his quarters. He is not to leave without express permission from either Dr Weir or myself, understood?"

"Understood, sir," he agreed.

"Do me a favour," he told Peter, "and stay there. Lorne, find Elizabeth and tell her what's been going on. I'm going to release Casey."

"Yes, sir."

***

Lily was barely aware of Theo holding her hand, of Dominic standing behind them. RJ's spirit was fading, and though they were bolstering it as much as they could none of them could hold out for much longer.

Dr Beckett and Mohinder were grimly working around them; both recognised that the effort it would take to remove them wasn't worth it. RJ was fading fast, Meta and ATA fighting each other and tearing him apart from the inside.

Dominic took a step back, out of the link. "We need CAsey," he told Dr Beckett.

"Aye, he's been sent for. There's something going on."

"Get them to hurry," he said grimly, turning back to Lily and Theo, laying a hand on each of their shoulders. The light around them shone more brightly for a moment before fading again.

Dr Beckett took the two steps to the curtain. "Jennifer!"

"Yes?" she called from the other side.

"Get Casey up here, now!"

"Now? Uh, yes sir!"

"He's coming," Dr Beckett said out loud, not really sure if the kids could hear him.

They kept going for another ten minutes before Lily fell to one side; Mohinder caught her quickly, bracing her until she could hold herself up. She moved to one side, away from the bed, and Dominic moved in to take her place.

"We can't keep this up," Lily said warningly.

"Casey's coming," Dr Beckett told her.

"Casey's here," Casey corrected him, breezing through the curtain. John was behind him, watching quietly as Casey caught Lily's hand, tugging her back to the bed.

"Can you do this?" he asked Mohinder, studying RJ.

"Not if he keeps fading like this."

"Not what I asked."

Mohinder studied him for a minute. "Yes. If you stabilise him, we can save him."

"Good." Casey turned back to the bed, glancing at the others. "Dom, pull back for a sec. Guys, you ready?"

"Lily's not," Dr Beckett said warningly.

"Yes, she is." Casey didn't look up, but his hand tightened on Lily's. "Remember the final battle, Lil? How tired we were? How nothing was working?"

She squeezed his hand in return, and all three closed their eyes.

"The level beyond Master," Dominic murmured. "Close your eyes," he added hastily to Beckett and Mohinder.

Three bright lights filled the room…yellow, blue and red…and he flinched away, blinking rapidly to dispel the afterimages.

"Mohinder?" Casey said. "Do it."

Mohinder reached for the machine, altering several settings and switching it on hastily. Dr Beckett joined him, studying the readouts; Dominic drifted back to join John at the door.

"He's stable," Beckett said finally, turning to face them.

Lily cheered quietly, leaning against Theo; he grinned, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Casey nodded, slowly, as though he hadn't expected anything else.

"Did it work?" Lily demanded. "The treatment, did it work?"

"We won't be sure until he wakes up. But yes, it looks good," Mohinder told them.

"_Great_," Dominic said, thumping John on the shoulder before remembering himself. "Sorry."

"No prob." John quietly rotated the shoulder, wincing. "The bruise'll fit in nicely."

"You should get some rest," Beckett said. He was mostly talking to Lily, but Casey didn't look much better.

"Theo?" Casey asked quietly.

"I'll hang around for a while. Go eat something." Theo folded himself neatly into a corner, out of everyone's way. Casey slid in next to Lily before she had time to react to the change.

"Lily, you want company?" Dominic asked.

"Nah. I'm too tired to be entertaining."

"I can entertain myself." He raised his eyebrows, quietly relieved when she giggled.

"What happened with Sylar?" Casey asked, turning towards John. Lily came with him; Dominic took a quick step forward, taking her weight from him.

"He's gone, apparently. Back to Earth. Peter promises we're safe, but that's all he'll say."

"If Peter says we are safe, then we are," Mohinder offered. "He would not risk the safety of this base."

"Peter's under house arrest. We'll find you new quarters; you're not to go near him until further notice." He glanced at Casey. "That goes for you guys, too."

"House arrest won't hold him any more than your brig held me," Casey warned him.

"Well, let's all pretend to co operate and see how far that gets us, hmm?"

Casey glanced at Dominic, heading out of the infirmary. The soldier at the door quietly followed them.

Lily refused Dominic's company again when they reached their rooms, promising that she was alright and just planned to sleep. Glancing after Casey, she added quietly, "Look after Casey."

"Yeah. Call us if you need anything, alright? Are you hungry?"

"A bit."

"I can have something sent up," the soldier offered.

"That'd be great; thank you." Lily leaned up to kiss Dominic's cheek. "Go on."

He nodded, heading into Casey's room and closing the door behind himself. "Casey…"

"Don't."

"We really…"

"I'm going to shower." Csey didn't look at him as he spoke.

"Are you…"

He locked the door, cutting Dominic off again.

Nearly half an hour later, when he came out, Dominic was lying on Theo's bed, studying the ceiling. He could hear Casey check slightly on seeing him before heading for his own bed.

"Casey."

"We don't need to talk about it."

"I think we do." He sat up, watching Casey pull on a sweater…not his training uniform, and the camo top he had been wearing suddenly made sense. "Case."

"It doesn't matter."

"You're shaking."

"I'm cold."

"Can you…"

"_Dominic_."

Dominic grimaced; that was Casey's leader voice, and for all that they'd left the Rangers behind his instinct was still to obey. Casey had never once led them wrong during the fight with Dai Shi; he'd earned the trust he was asking for now.

He sat in silence while Casey pulled another sweater over the first and crawled under the blankets; easing back down onto the bed, he murmured, "We are sorry."

"I know."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27

John was slumped in a seat in the mess, playing with the plate in front of him, when Elizabeth sat down beside him. "I hear RJ's treatment went well."

"The doctors seem happy," he agreed.

"They're the only ones. What happened with Peter?"

"He won't tell me. Just that Sylar is gone and won't be back."

"No one saw anything?"

"There are no sensors out there, and Lorne saw him talking to Casey…or Sylar, I guess…and then there was just Peter. That's all." He shrugged. "Mohinder says Peter doesn't lie."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully, pushing to her feet. "Let's go ask him."

John blinked at her. "He won't tell us."

"Won't know until we try. I'd rather not have him confined."

John followed her out of the mess hall. "How's Zelenka?"

"He's doing better. Mild concussion from the blow to the head, and the cold water didn't help, but Carson tells me he'll be back at work in a day or two."

"McKay'll be happy."

"Someone else to order around," she agreed.

Dominic was just leaving Casey's room as they reached the corridor; he paused in the doorway, watching them tap on Peter's door.

Peter was sitting at the desk when John opened the door. "I can't tell you anything more," he said at once.

"You understand my position?" Elizabeth asked, coming into the room. John followed her, pausing just inside the door. "I have only your word that my people are safe."

"I understand," Peter agreed. "But I can't tell you. I gave my word."

"Can you give me anything? Anything to help me, Peter."

He looked away, studying the view from his window. "One of my friends can teleport," he said finally. "And one of them works for people experienced in containing dangerous Meta. When I knew we were coming here, and that Sylar would be here, I asked them to be ready."

"How did your friend know where to come?" John asked. "Because I know you didn't break your confidentiality agreement and tell him."

"He doesn't know where he was. Just that Sylar was here." He looked back at Elizabeth. "Sylar is one of us, and we had to deal with him. He won't come back here again; I promise you that."

Elizabeth studied him. "Your friend's names?"

"Hiro and Noah. That's it," he added when John started to protest. "They risked a lot to help me, and I can't betray that."

"Mohinder might tell us," John said casually.

Peter tensed. "Mohinder didn't know anything about the plan, and he doesn't know them."

"He told me he knows more Meta than anyone."

Peter grinned. "That's probably true. But he doesn't know these two."

Elizabeth sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed. "You understand what I'm risking here?"

"Yes," Peter agreed quietly.

"Lift the house arrest." She didn't look away, though her words were aimed at John. "Let Mohinder back in. Peter, if you place any of my people in harm's way…"

She trailed off and Peter nodded understanding.

"Good." She rose to her feet, turning to leave.

"Dr Weir? How is Zelenka?"

"He's fine. Or he will be, anyway. No permanent damage."

"That's good." Peter smiled again. "I'm glad we were in time."

"Why were we in time?" John asked. "Sylar had him. Why'd he leave him behind?"

"We have history. Sylar, Mohinder and I. He thought he could get us on our own, he thought he could…" Peter shrugged. "We were lucky."

"History?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's complicated. He killed Mohinder's father, he's tried to kill us, he…" He shook his head. "He couldn't pass us up. If we hadn't been on base he'd have killed Zelenka straight away."

"I suppose we were lucky, then," Elizabeth murmured. "Consider yourself on probation, Peter."

"Yes ma'am," Peter agreed, smiling.

***

Some time later he was back on the balcony, enjoying the view this time. The sun was going down again, and the sea looked as though it were full of gold; the light painted Atlantis' towers pink and gold.

Casey was standing in the doorway when he turned, Lily and Theo behind him. "I heard what happened," he said, gesturing vaguely towards the balcony. "I didn't want to…"

"No, come out," Peter said over him. "It's fine. How's RJ?"

"Not quite himself at the moment. Or maybe more himself than usual." Casey considered that for a moment. "Dominic's sitting with him right now," he added. "Last time I checked in, they were trying to persuade him that his table would not 'flower into something miraculous' if he watered it."

"It's the anaesthesia," Lily clarified, poking him in the shoulder. "Stop making fun when he's not here to defend himself."

"I'm not making fun! That's what Dominic said. They gave RJ water and he poured it all over the table to see what would grow, and now he's drawing patterns in it."

"It's the anaesthesia," Lily repeated with a smile. "On the plus side, he hasn't wolfed out yet and the bruising's starting to fade. They're taking that as a good sign."

"Good," Peter said with a smile.

Theo glanced at his watch, frowned, and leaned out the door. "Excuse me, what time is it?"

"Seventeen sixty three," the soldier told him.

He leaned back in. "Lily, we're going to be late."

"Late for what?" Casey asked.

"Teyla's class." Lily grinned at him. "She invited us to take part. Want to come?"

"No, thanks. I'm going to go take over from Dominic, let him grab a break. I'll tell him where you are."

Peter watched them leave, taking a couple of steps closer to Casey. "Has anyone said anything to you about going home?"

"No. I think they want to make sure RJ's alright first. If he relapses on Earth they'll just have to bring him back here anyway."

"I guess."

"Worried about the dream?"

He nodded sharply. "They always come true. I don't understand why this one hasn't."

"Yet," Casey pointed out. "RJ was on his feet, after all."

"Yeah," Peter agreed slowly.

"Peter, is Sylar really gone?"

"He won't cause any more trouble," Peter said warily.

"RJ is Meta. We might be; we weren't tested. He knows who we are."

"He won't be able to get you," Peter promised. "And if I think he might, I'll warn you myself."

"Alright," Casey agreed, accepting his word without hesitation. "I'm gonna go let Dominic take a break. I'll see you later."

***

Cam and Daniel were standing just inside the door of the infirmary; Cam's arms were folded, and Daniel was scribbling in his notebook. Casey came to a halt beside them, studying the scene with a frown.

"Dominic, is that the best idea?"

Dominic shrugged. "Seems to be."

"RJ, you ok?" Casey added.

RJ nodded without stopping the Tai Chi like movements. "Never better."

"He's not supposed to be out of bed," Cam said idly. "Doc Beckett's going to pitch a fit, he comes in and sees this."

"Rangers heal faster than other people," RJ said placidly.

"You're not a Ranger," Daniel reminded him.

"Healing's one of the things that stays with you, afterwards." Dominic pushed away from the bed, falling into place beside RJ and mimicking him.

"Teyla invited you to join in her class," Casey told him.

"Don't much want to be beaten up right now, thanks."

"Good choice," Cam murmured.

Casey shrugged, slipping into place on RJ's other side.

Cam straightened. "I'll go see if I can head the good doc off. Casey! Five minutes."

Casey nodded absently; Daniel glanced at his watch, and wasn't surprised when four minutes and forty seconds later all three stopped. RJ sat down on the bed, Dominic clapped Casey's shoulder and left, and three seconds later Carson and Cam rounded the corner.

"How are you feeling, RJ?" Carson asked. "Casey, nice to see you. Feeling alright after your swim?"

"Yeah, I eventually warmed back up."

"I feel fine," RJ added.

"Well, let me see." Carson checked his pulse and temperature. "Your pulse is very slow."

"I'm very calm."

"Aye," Carson said absently. "Could you hold this, please?" He passed RJ a small machine.

"Should it be doing something?" RJ asked politely.

"No, no, I just needed you to hold it. That's fine. RJ, you can go back to your quarters if you'd like; I want to keep you on base for a couple more days, just to be sure."

Casey took the machine from RJ. "No bruises. No new bruises, anyway."

"So I see." RJ turned his hands over, studying them; the bruises were fading to yellow, almost as they watched.

"Hungry?" Casey handed the machine back to Carson.

"Yeah," RJ decided. "What's the pizza like here?"

"I wouldn't risk it," Carson advised him. "Our chef's good, but he's not that good."

"May I come?" Daniel asked. "I have some questions I'd like to ask, if you're willing."

"I told you…" Casey started.

"I know. You don't have to answer anything you don't want to. But the teams who've worked with the government have never been very open."

"Probably a good reason for that," RJ remarked. "Come, eat, ask your questions. But we may not answer."

"Which teams worked with you?" Casey asked, leading the way out of the infirmary.

"Well, not me, personally. But Lightspeed Rescue, in Mariner Bay, was part-funded by the government, and the two teams before that co operated with the government." He glanced at RJ. "You know that."

"My contact is not in those teams," RJ said evenly.

"You got Angela Rawlings to talk to us."

"I made a call, he made a call, they made a call…Chinese Whispers. Oh, we're here." He wandered towards the cabinet that served as a fridge, examining the bottles there.

"The Red Rangers, leaders and technicians keep in touch," Casey said quietly. "RJ was two of those for us. We wouldn't be Rangers if it weren't for him."

"You're Red. Who did you talk to?"

Casey thought about it for a minute. "If you want to know about Rangers," he said finally, "you want to find Dr Oliver. He was one of the first, and he's stayed involved…he was a Dino Thunder Ranger, too."

"Dino Thunder was only a few years ago."

"Yeah. He was leader and tech, that time. Black Ranger."

"He's trying to get through the whole Ranger spectrum," RJ agreed, joining them, balancing a tray in one hand. "Green, White, Red, and Black."

"So far," Casey said with a grin.

"How'd he manage that?" Daniel asked with a frown, sitting down.

RJ passed Casey a drink. "Nowadays, teams face one threat and then disband. Service over, time up. We faced Dai Shi and when he was defeated, we were done. Next threat, a new team will rise."

"When the Power Rangers started, they served until they left," Casey continued. "Through multiple threats. Through multiple villains, sometimes. Dr Oliver served through three different sets of powers, and his colour assignment changed from power to power."

"Why the change?" Daniel absently stole a cookie from the tray.

"Well, Zordon died. And the Command Centre his Rangers used was destroyed. We had to rely on ourselves, rather than him."

Daniel blinked, staring at the table. "What?" Casey asked, watching him. "You know something."

"Zordon…might not have died."

"He was seen," RJ told him. "He saved the Astro Rangers and their allies."

"We think Zordon was an Ancient. Some of them are still around, just sort of…incorporeal. They're not supposed to interfere with us, and if they're caught they generally have their powers stripped. Zordon may still be alive, possibly even on Earth, just powerless."

"Good thing we're still here to carry on his work, then, isn't it?" Casey said, lifting his bottle in a silent toast.

"Do you ever all meet up?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Sometimes the early teams do," RJ told him. "They tended to know each other beforehand."

"Last year, the team's powers were knocked out. They recruited earlier rangers, going right back to the beginning. Sometimes that happens; ex rangers need to help out newer ones. It never takes long."

"Did you need help?"

"No. But we were just lucky. We easily could have. We had eight Rangers by the end. Dino Thunder won with five."

Daniel nodded again; Casey smiled faintly, taking another cookie off the tray and dropping it in front of him. "Write it down," he suggested. "Then you won't have to ask us again."

Daniel dived for his notebook, almost upsetting the table in his eagerness. Casey grinned, exchanging glances with RJ.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Are there many of them on your world?" Alice asked curiously.

"Many of who?" John said absently. Theo and Lily had boxed Teyla into a corner, and for a moment he thought they had her.

Until she kicked Theo hard enough to knock him back several steps, ducked Lily's swipe, and just like that she was on the other side of their painstakingly choreographed blockade.

Lily took a step back, swinging her staff; they'd found the longest stick they had and she was using it like a bo. They hadn't been able to do anything about Theo's tonfa, though; he was using two sticks, like Teyla.

"Many of _them_." Alice lifted her chin towards the fight.

"Oh. Um…" He did the sum quickly. "About sixty, I think. A few more, maybe."

"If you'd asked me to choose a rebel when the People left, I would not have chosen Zordon," she mused.

"You knew him?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course. He was young when they left Pegasus, but he was born here." She smiled as Theo tripped Teyla. "Your government allows this? They are vigilantes."

"Hey!" Theo protested. "I heard that."

"They're not vigilantes," John told her, trying not to laugh at Theo's outraged expression. "And yeah. The government allows it." Theo started to speak, and he added quickly, "The government can't stop them. They have their own support system, their own resources, and we're superfluous. Zordon made sure of that."

Lily crashed to the floor at his feet, and he bent down automatically to help her back up. "Thanks!" she chirped, grinning at him. "Not so superfluous as you think."

She then flew—literally—back across the room. Teyla only just managed to dodge her in time.

"It's the Power that lets them do that, right?" John murmured.

"Enhanced speed, strength, stamina, flexibility, healing, accuracy," Alice reeled off. "But they're inactive. They've lost much of what was given them."

"They were better than this? Teyla's been fighting them for fifteen minutes and they haven't gone down yet."

"You spar with Teyla and Ronon all the time. You know the heights the human body can reach when pushed. And they were pushed."

"Yeah, but I'm used to Teyla and Ronon _beating_ people."

"Zordon's children have greater stamina. That's why they're still standing. Teyla will defeat them."

John studied the fight, rapidly coming to the same conclusion. The kids were more and more often falling into defence instead of offence, and every minute or so one of them disengaged totally, taking several quick breaths before launching back in.

"They're not going to stop, are they," he said quietly.

"They're used to fighting for their lives." Alice's voice had hardened, suddenly, and he looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Why are you angry?"

She hesitated for a moment, and he thought she wasn't going to give him an answer; but she did, finally, still hard and angry. "Zordon tied the powers to their survival instincts. The more they believe they're going to die, the more power they draw on."

"So?"

"Humans have fight or flight for a reason, John. No Ranger will ever choose flight, no matter how many years out of uniform they are. They have nothing approaching normal threat assessment anymore."

"It's not…so bad," Theo offered, hands on knees as he tried to draw in enough oxygen.

"It's messing with your biology. I'm not surprised he got caught."

"As far as we can tell," John told her, "he allowed himself to be caught to protect a team of Rangers."

His radio beeped before she could answer; Teyla and Lily paused, looking up curiously.

"That's fine, just keep an eye on them," he said, flicking it off. "Your team mates are going exploring on the south pier," he added before they could ask. "You're invited."

Theo looked at Lily, flat on her back on the mat, and Teyla, hovering over her. "Draw?" he suggested.

"Draw," Teyla agreed, switching both her weapons to one hand to help Lily up.

"Are you coming?" Lily asked, passing over her weapon. Theo tossed his to her, one at a time, and she caught them easily, stowing them neatly in the rack.

"I think not. I have work to do." She caught John's eye and he wandered over to join her.

"You'd have beaten them," he told her, taking the weapons from her to stow them away.

"I am not so sure."

"I am. You had them beat, they just wouldn't fall down."

"I have rarely fought someone so willing to take punishment. Even when it became clear they would not win, they did not back down." She looked past him at the kids; Lily was attempting to spray Theo with her water bottle, laughing as he ducked her. "And they are children."

John nodded quietly. "Come with us?"

"No. I have a self defence lesson. Perhaps I shall find you afterwards."

"Do." He grinned, turning away. "Ready?"

Lily grinned, tipping the rest of her bottle over Theo's head. "Ready."

Theo rubbed off the wet, shaking his hands at her. "Let's go."

***

RJ was waiting just outside the door; he draped an arm around Lily and Theo's shoulders, leading them down towards the end of the pier. "Welcome to the great outdoors," he told them.

"You look better," Lily said with a grin.

"I feel better. Surprising what a bit of sunlight will do."

"This sun is safe, right?" Theo asked, peering upwards.

"Not if you look straight at it, amigo."

"It's safe," John said from behind them. "Sun burn factor today is about an hour."

"We'll be back inside by then," RJ promised.

Cam was standing near the end of the pier, watching Daniel with some amusement. He was perched between Dominic and Casey, and every time one of them refused to answer a question he swivelled to repeat it to the other. John wasn't sure, but it looked like the boys were sending the questions back and forth just to make him turn.

"He's learning about Rangers," Cam told him when they came into range.

"Oh? Any tips on how to be one?"

"Well, it seems to help if you attend a super-secret ninja…"

"Kung fu," Dominic corrected him.

"Academy," Cam continued, "or if your teacher used to be a Ranger. Or if your father is rich, that helps too."

"When did that ever…" Casey hesitated, thinking.

"Those aren't the requirements," RJ told him.

"The ability to look good in spandex," Casey said solemnly. "That's killer."

"Especially when you live in a pizza parlour," Dominic agreed, rising to his feet as Lily came to join them.

"And if you can take really bizarre stuff in stride without blinking? That makes everything easier," she told him.

"Less fun," RJ said seriously, "but easier."

"So," Cam said loudly, turning to John. "What's the fishing like around here?"

***

John was starting to think about rounding the group up to get back indoors—their hour was almost up, and he didn't feel like explaining sunburn to Carson—when his radio beeped.

"_John, we have incoming!_" Elizabeth warned him.

"Incoming from where?" he protested, adding "Everyone inside, _now_," when they just gaped at him.

"_They jumped inside the solar system,_" Rodney said hurriedly. "_Daedalus is powering up but the Darts are going to get here first."_

"Get some 'Jumpers in the air," John ordered. "Get inside!"

Theo and Dominic both reached for Lily, hurrying her towards the door without looking back. Cam pushed Daniel after them. Casey was waiting for RJ, slowest to respond.

"Who's coming?" he asked John.

"Wraith. Come on."

RJ finally moved; Casey stayed half a step behind him, and Cam was on his heels. John looked up as the 'Jumpers finally launched.

"Three?" he demanded into his radio.

"_Major Lorne's off-world_" Elizabeth reminded him. "_And we need Rodney and Carson here. Where are you?_"

"Just coming in off the south pier. Get 'Jumper One prepped."

"I can fly," Cam told him.

"A 'Jumper? In combat?"

"I've flown a 'Jumper."

"In combat?" John repeated. Cam didn't answer, and he sighed. "Elizabeth, get another 'Jumper prepped and get an engineer on board. Colonel Mitchell's going to fly."

The others were waiting for them at the head of the pier; Daniel and Dominic were watching the sky, ready to yell if the Darts approached. Theo and Lily were reaching for Casey and RJ, urging them on.

"_Incoming!_"

Rodney's voice was high and alarmed; John was drawing breath to demand clarification when a Dart screamed overhead, coming from the city, beam already active and searching.

Cam tackled Casey and RJ, bringing them down in a tangled heap. Theo and Lily, as one, jumped for Daniel. Dominic was on their heels until John hit him from the side, forcing him out of the beam's path.

"Fight or flight," Alice said from somewhere very far away.

"Not now," he growled. Dominic was heavier than her looked, and he'd ended up on top. "Mitchell!"

"Plus two! Jackson!"

Daniel didn't answer; John shifted his weight just enough for Dominic to feel the movement. "Dom?"

"Yeah," Dominic breathed.

"You Ok?"

"Yeah."

That was a lie, but John didn't have time to call him on it. "Can you move?" Dominic rolled off him; he pushed to his knees, saying quietly, "Alice?"

"Communications are temporarily down; they should be back up within a couple of minutes, and there's a rescue team on its' way here now." She still sounded like she was several miles away, but neither Mitchell nor Dominic sounded like that so it must have been her voice rather than his ears. "Daniel, Theo and Lily are gone."

"Shit," he muttered. "Dom, I have to get to control; I have to stop them shooting at the Darts. Are you Ok?"

"Yeah." Dominic still hadn't moved to sit up, and there was blood in his hair. "Head wound," he added when he caught John's look. "I'm fine."

"Cam! We got an injury here!"

"Yeah," Cam agreed, coming to hunker beside Dominic. "Casey sprained his wrist.—tilt your head, Dominic? Go, John, I'll join you soon as I can."

John passed the rescue team near the transporters, waving them on without pausing. The transporters were still on line, even if comms were still down, and he was in Control less than three minutes after leaving the pier.

"Stop firing on them!"

"The Dart that attacked you is already back on the Hive," Elizabeth told him. "Colonel Caldwell's been warned and Daedalus isn't firing. Who did it take?"

"Theo, Lily, and Dr Jackson." He leaned over Rodney's shoulder, reading the display. "Dominic knocked his head and Casey sprained his wrist, but we're Ok. Are we actually winning?"

"I wouldn't say winning, exactly. More like not losing yet." Rodney pushed his chair back, forcing John to back away. "Can you fly, or did you bump your head too?"

John made a face at him. "I can fly. Cam's on his way," he added to Elizabeth.

***

Twin Alices turned to look at him when he came into the 'Jumper bay, one on the ramp, one just below it. "Startup?" he asked, pausing below the ramp.

"Ready for takeoff," the Alice in the 'Jumper said cheerfully.

He turned to the other one. "Kids Ok?"

"Yes. Dominic has no signs of concussion and had been released. Casey only strained his wrist, not sprained it as they thought. It will work itself out."

"Good. Keep an eye on them. Where's Cam?"

"Almost here."

John was in the air before Cam reached the bay; he waited semi patiently for him, taking an occasional shot when the Darts came too close for comfort.

Cam's ascent was fast and assured and he came to an easy stop just off John's wing. "_Now what?_" he asked.

"Now you stay on my wing and do what I do."

Rodney's voice was a constant drone in the background, relaying information as they got it. John mostly ignored him; Alice knew his flying style well enough to flag anything he really needed to pay attention to.

"Colonel Mitchell's talking to his 'Jumper," she reported after a minute.

"A lot of pilots do," John said absently.

"Left."

"I see it."

"He's a good pilot, considering he doesn't have the ATA. Two degrees down."

John did it, watching on the HUD as Cam followed him without hesitation. The move put him in perfect position to shoot the next Dart.

"Let his own Alice do the flying for him, please."

"His own Alice can't talk to him, and he's not following the suggested routes she's putting on the HUD."

"Mitchell, watch your HUD!"

"_I can't watch it and stay on your wing!_"

"He's got a point," Alice noted.

"_No, no, no! Sheppard, the Hive's getting ready to jump!_"

"Can you track it?" John demanded, shooting another Dart. They were definitely pulling out.

"_Would you like me to do anything else while I'm at it?_"

"Find another ZPM?" John murmured along with him. "No," he added more loudly. "Just track the ship. Mitchell, stay where you are."

"He didn't like that," Alice muttered with a grin.

Whether he liked it or not, Cam obeyed, hovering just off John's wing as the last Darts returned to the Hive.

"Elizabeth, they take anyone else?"

"_You were the only people outside,"_ Elizabeth said distractedly. "_Some structural damage, nothing serious._"

"That's something, I guess. Cam, head back to base."

Above them, the Hive ship vanished into hyperspace.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Twenty Nine

Dominic was waiting in Control when they got back from the 'Jumper bay. The blood was still dried into his hair, but he was alert and not in John's way, so he was mostly ignored.

"Alright, alright," Rodney said as soon as John reappeared. "We know Hives have to periodically drop out of hyperspace, and we know roughly how long they can travel for, so we can estimate where they might stop next."

"Estimate?" Cam repeated. "That doesn't sound good."

"You didn't let me finish." Rodney stared until he lifted his hands in surrender before turning back to John. "We ran the estimates and came up with twelve different worlds."

"Twelve is too many."

"Which is why we had Teyla look at the list. She knocked four off straight away; no inhabitants. Then we…well, it's all very complicated, but the upshot is; this is the world they're going to." He highlighted one on the display.

"You're sure?" Rodney glared, not bothering to answer, and John nodded. "Good. Cam, you up for another mission?"

"Sure."

"Good. Rodney, you've got ten minutes. Elizabeth, what teams are on base?"

"I'll handle that. Go and suit up."

Dominic was standing in the doorway when he turned. Peter had arrived at some point, but he was staying well out of it, leaning against the wall.

"We're coming," Dominic told him.

"No."

"Yes. Those are our team mates, and we don't leave them behind."

"You're not coming."

"We are, though."

Casey was suddenly at his shoulder. John blinked; he hadn't seen the younger boy approaching. "Dominic," Casey said evenly.

"He thinks we're not coming."

"Does he."

John half-turned to look at Elizabeth, who came to join them. "A trained team would find it easier…"

"We can beat any one of your teams," Casey told her flatly. "We will not leave Theo and Lily, nor your Dr Jackson. You will not leave us behind."

"He's serious," Peter offered off-handedly. "You'd probably have to attack 'em to keep them here."

"Thank you, not helping," John said warningly.

"Depends on who he's trying to help," Alice murmured. "John, let them go."

"You…" John caught himself, shifting his focus back to Dominic. "You'll follow orders?"

"I'll follow my team leader," Dominic agreed without hesitation.

He sighed, turning to Casey. "And you?"

"I won't put your men at risk."

"Not the question."

"All you're getting."

"John," Elizabeth said quietly. To Casey, she added, "You're all injured. Surely it would be better to…"

"We're fine. Ready to go."

She glanced at John, expression conveying what her words didn't, and he grimaced, looking at Cam. "Up for another flight?"

"Yeah." Cam had been standing behind John, ready just in case; now he backed up a step, out of the way. "Where's RJ?"

"In the infirmary. He'll be along."

"Why aren't we suiting up?" Rodney asked from behind them.

"Just discussing the team rosters," John said evenly. "What about you?" he added to Peter.

"Yes."

"Great. Come on, we need to get you suited up. You're wearing your uniforms, I assume?"

"You assume correctly," Dominic agreed. Casey didn't move, eyes still on John.

"That's a bad idea," Alice said, words aimed at Casey. "You make it hard for him to trust you."

Casey didn't move, but he suddenly seemed less confrontational anyway. As though sensing the change Dominic relaxed, watching more easily as John and the others left.

"I'm sorry," Casey said abruptly to Elizabeth. "I didn't mean…we can't leave each other behind. It's part of what we are."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "A more private conversation would have been better."

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Find RJ," she advised them, "and go to the launch bay. If you're not there when he's ready, he'll leave you behind."

***

Waking up seemed like a really bad idea. Everything hurt, the air was too warm and too damp, and sleep really just seemed like the better option.

Unfortunately, it also seemed unobtainable.

Theo let his eyes drift open, wincing even at the faint light. Lily was sitting beside him, but she wasn't looking at him; he tried to follow her gaze, but he couldn't make the odd shapes and shadows resolve into anything recognizable.

"Lil?" he murmured.

"Hey," she whispered, leaning over him. "You Ok?"

"What hit us?" He lifted a hand to his forehead.

"A Dart." That was Daniel; squinting, Theo could more or less see him. "We're on a Wraith Hive Ship."

Theo looked back at Lily. "Bad?"

"Bad," she confirmed. "They have some kind of mind reading power. Daniel's worried what would happen if they find out about the Rangers."

"They can't exactly make their own." Theo tugged at Lily's sleeve until she helped him sit up, bracing him until the room stopped turning cartwheels. "Rangers don't serve evil."

"Sometimes they do," Lily murmured, biting her lip.

"Sometimes the powers are perverted," Theo allowed. "But evil doesn't create those powers. They're stolen and misused. The Wraith can't create evil Rangers, it doesn't work like that."

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked. "What about you guys, can they make you use your powers?"

"We're retired," Theo said dryly. "Rangers can be brainwashed—it's happened—but the Power actively fights to get them back to normal. And we can't be blackmailed into hurting other people, it won't let us do it."

"What about Rangers who just go bad?" He pushed away from whatever he was leaning on—Theo thought it might be a door; that would make sense of the brighter patches—and paced over to them.

"Rangers don't go bad," Lily said firmly.

"If they did," Theo added, "the Power would leave them. It won't do evil, no matter what."

"Daniel," Lily said quietly, "thoughts or minds?"

"Minds," he said after a moment. "But they tend to be focusing on one thing, and they just bull right to it. Why?"

"They might not know about the Meta mutation. If they don't, we can't let them find out about it."

"We definitely can't let them know about RJ," Daniel agreed. "Or the rest of you. ATA and Meta?"

"The Wraith don't have the ATA?" Lily asked.

"No. We're lucky; there's a lot of Ancient tech scattered around this galaxy. If the Wraith had the ATA we'd be in trouble."

"More than this?" Theo pointed out.

Footsteps sounded down the corridor; Lily scrambled to her feet, reaching down to brace Theo as he rose. "You had to say it," she said resignedly.

***

John sent the second team, Rodney, Ronon and Teyla with Cam in 'Jumper Two, keeping Peter and the Rangers with him. Dominic was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, but he'd turned around almost completely to watch RJ and Casey in the back.

"How long until we get there?" Peter asked. He was sitting just behind John, watching through the viewscreen.

The HUD flashed up and John considered it. "Couple of minutes. We're going to go through first, have a look around, make sure the Hive is there. Then we'll…have a plan." He could feel Dominic staring at him, but he didn't turn. "How are you going to be useful, Peter?"

The chair squeaked as Peter swung, considering the question. "I can turn invisible," he offered. "I can throw electricity. And you've seen my TK."

"Yeah. All at once?"

"No. One at a time. But anyone I'm touching goes invisible with me."

"Cool," John allowed. "We'll keep that in mind. We're going through the wormhole," he added. "We can't cloak until we get through; if they're watching us, they may fire on us. Casey, I need you to not think of i_anything_/i, alright? The 'Jumper's sensitive and you're very good."

"Got it," Casey agreed. John glanced back in time to see RJ switching seats to sit next to him, whispering softly.

"Here we go," he said, easing the 'Jumper forward.

"This 'Jumper's attuned to you," Alice said conversationally. "You use it so often, and almost no one else does. It'll hear you over everyone else."

The sentence started in Atlantis and finished on the other end of the wormhole. "Not now," John growled, cloaking them and dropping the nose at the same time. Dominic automatically reached out to catch himself on the panel in front of them, watching as the two guard ships vanished off screen.

"You don't need to do that," Alice told him. "There's no change in pressure in here."

"Yeah, but I'm used to the zords. You make a move like that in a zord, you feel it."

"Zords?" Alice repeated.

"Later," John said firmly. "Did they see us?"

"They're not scanning us, or talking about any kind of disturbance. What is a zord?"

"Ask Alice when we get back to base." Catching Dominic's look, he added, "Alice in the 'Jumpers knows star charts and ship configurations and that's about it. Alice on Atlantis updates her with any other information she needs. Alice, where's the Hive ship?"

"Scanning."

"Doesn't that get confusing?" Peter asked.

"He treats both of me the same," she said brightly.

"Only when she talks about it," John muttered.

Dominic laughed, shaking his head when Peter went to ask another question. "You travel in time. Doesn't that get confusing?"

Peter shrugged. "I don't think about it much."

"You can travel in time?" John repeated.

"I can. I'm not much good at it. I usually either miss totally and land in the future, or overshoot and go too far back."

"Hive ship located," Alice announced. "Two planets out from the sun." The HUD flashed back up and John studied it.

"Alright. Alice, where's the nearest Stargate?"

"Six light years," she told him. The view on the HUD zoomed out to show him.

"We can't dial the 'Gate again back to Atlantis, they'll be able to pick up the symbols. They'll have our address."

"I can get back to Atlantis," Peter offered. "What's the message?"

"Just tell them to come on. And cloak the second they get through; two Darts on watch."

"Got it," Peter agreed, vanishing.

"Uh, does Casey still need to be concentrating so hard?" RJ asked from the back. "He keeps meditating much longer, we won't be able to wake him up."

John glanced at Alice, who shook her head. "No," he told RJ. "Just tell him to be careful what he's thinking."

"Don't think about pink elephants," Dominic said cheerfully, turning to look back at them.

"Thanks, Dom," Casey said irritably. "Not pink rhinos?"

"That leads to bad thoughts about teammates in pink spandex," Dominic told him.

There was a brief pause before Casey growled. "Oh, fantastic. I'm never getting that image out of my head."

"I warned you."

"You did not!"

The 'Gate lit back up; John turned the 'Jumper, grateful when the boys fell silent, to watch. Nothing happened for almost a minute; then the second 'Jumper burst through, vanishing almost before it was totally in view. One of the Darts fired, but it didn't hit anything.

Peter reappeared behind him. "Sorry. I wasn't sure enough where you were."

John nodded, triggering his radio. "Cam?"

"_Yeah._" On the HUD, the 'Jumper eased around to take up station just behind and beside him. "_That was close._"

"I warned you," he drawled.

"_What's the plan_?"

John muted the radio, turning to look at Casey. "You're here. If you're coming on the ship with us, you'll _have_ to listen to me. You can't be running off on your own. Understand?"

"I understand," Casey agreed.

John glanced at RJ, who didn't speak, and Dominic, who shrugged easily. "Alright. Cam? We're going in first. You're air support. Get ready to drop Ronon and the others if we call, the rest of you hang back."

"_You sure_?"

"We'll bring Daniel back," Dominic said.

There was a brief silence from the radio before Cam said, "_We're standing by._"

John nodded, flicking the radio back off. "Whatever you guys need to do to get ready, I'd be doing it."

Dominic pushed out of his chair, heading into the back with RJ and Casey, but they didn't do anything that John could see.

"What's a zord?" Alice asked again. When John looked up, she was standing in the back with the Rangers.

"Zord," Casey said slowly. "Dom…"

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. I don't know."

"There's no reason it wouldn't," RJ said thoughtfully. "Your zord is tied to you, not a physical location. Can you sense your spirit?"

"Yeah," Dominic said after a pause.

"We're landing," John warned them. "Hang on."

"Will they see our trail?" Peter asked, moving to the co-pilot's seat.

"Probably. We're going in on the far side of the planet. If we're lucky, they won't see the disturbance."

Peter nodded, watching as they hit the atmosphere. The ship shook a little; John kept them dropping, eyes on the HUD.

"They don't see us," Alice offered.

"Good," he muttered, still watching carefully.

"There are some metallic compounds in the ground here throwing off my scans," she added. "Be careful."

Casey was standing behind him the next time he looked up. "Nearly there?" he asked.

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. We think we might have an advantage, but it won't matter until we get the others out of the ship."

"Oh yeah? What advantage?"

***

***

KaesirPhoenix: Alice occasionally feels very constrained by what she is; her programming dictates everything she is and does, whether she likes it or not. So she's very protective of anyone else who's choices have been limited in any way. Also, Sentai doesn't exist in this world. :D

I do quite like the 'never give up, never surrender' frame of mind, but _Alice_ doesn't.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty

"This is really unnecessary," Daniel protested. Predictably, his guard paid no attention, shoving him even though he was already moving as fast as he could.

Theo and Lily were just behind him; neither had spoken since the guards had appeared at the cell, and had fiercely resisted when the guards tried to split them up. Daniel had finally managed to get the guards to let them to stay together, but he hadn't been able to persuade them to leave them behind.

He was already concentrating on the things it would be relatively safe for the Wraith to find out from him; he was locking away his knowledge of Earth, of the Meta mutation, and of the Ranger programme. Experience with the Replicators had taught him how to hide things when he had to.

The Queen was waiting when they reached the control room; the guard shoved him hard enough to almost knock him off his feet, but he stayed upright, bracing Lily when she crashed into him. "Why are we here?" he demanded.

"As our guests," the Queen told him.

"Some guests," Theo protested. Daniel shifted, catching his eye and waving him to silence.

"You don't enjoy our hospitality?" she asked mock-sadly. "There are far less courteous ways we could treat you."

"Theo, shush," Lily murmured.

"You should listen to your friend," the Queen urged him.

Theo subsided, glaring at the Queen.

"I'm sorry. What is it you actually want?" Daniel asked politely.

"So quickly down to business? I had thought we might talk first."

"Not feeling very talkative, thank you. Something about being locked in a cell always does that to me."

"What a shame," she purred, wandering towards them. Theo and Lily both tensed, but neither made any attempt to move. "I had so hoped we could be civilised about this."

"You want to be civilised about eating us?" Theo demanded.

"One cannot help one's dietary needs," she said primly. "But there is no reason we need be unpleasant."

She smiled then, showing far too many teeth for comfort. "Arguing spoils the taste."

***

"That's a lot of Wraith," Casey murmured, peering over John's shoulder through the windscreen.

John nodded, watching them pace around in front of the entrance to the Hive. "It is. Alice, your scans picking up any other entrances?"

"No, John. Not unless you want to crawl through an engine intake, and I'd advise against that; if the ship powers up while you're there, you'd…"

"Thanks," he interrupted her. Casey, who heard her whether she was speaking or not, glared half-heartedly at him. "Peter, how many people can you turn invisible?"

"One. Maybe two. Not all of you."

"OK." John grimaced, studying the HUD. "Alice, show me the inside?...right. Peter, can you get Ronon past that line and in here?" He touched a spot just inside the door.

"Yeah," Peter said, studying it.

"Good. Do it, and on my signal, attack them from inside. We're lucky, we'll take them all out before anyone notices."

"Are you usually lucky?" Dominic asked.

"Not this lucky, no. Peter, go."

Peter vanished; Casey dropped into his seat, studying the HUD.

"Where are they likely to be?" RJ asked.

"This is cells." John highlighted a large section. "If they've been taken for interrogation, they're likely to be here. That's just off the control room." He looked at Dominic. "Your secret weapon?"

"Not until they're safe." Catching John's look, he added, "It's ready. But not until they're safe."

"Good."

Peter reappeared, one hand on Ronon's shoulder. "I can't get in there from here, but we can walk it," he explained. "You'll have to hold my hand."

Ronon raised an eyebrow, studying him, and then reluctantly held out a hand. Peter gripped it, walking straight through the wall of the 'Jumper. They didn't appear in the viewscreen, so John assumed they'd gone invisible.

"You three stick with me," he told them. "I want to know where you are. Got your radios?" RJ held up his to demonstrate; Casey patted his pocket distractedly, and Dominic nodded. "Good. Use 'em if you have to, but _only_ if you have to."

"We understood all this the first time around," Casey told him.

"You're not fighting…"

He hesitated, and RJ offered, "Rin Shi? Phantom Beasts? Dai Shi?"

"Any of those. Wraith are something totally different. You cannot let them get their hands on you."

"We'll be careful," Dominic promised.

John's radio clicked twice; he gripped it automatically, looking back at them. "Ready?"

"We're ready."

John dropped the hatch, clicked his radio twice and led them out to battle.

***

Elizabeth wasn't sure Mohinder heard her step onto the balcony. He certainly didn't react, although he didn't seem surprised when she leaned against the railing beside him. She didn't speak, studying the view just as he was.

"Is it always this hard?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Is what always so hard?"

"Being the one left behind."

She considered it for a long time. "Yes," she decided finally. "John's team has beaten death many times. It should be a relief, but instead each time they go out, I wonder if this is the time. If this time they won't come back." She turned, leaning against the rail to watch him. "Isn't it like this for you?"

"With Peter? I'm not usually so intimately involved. He and his friends are very careful about not involving those of us who do not have the Meta mutation. I provide medical support, when it's needed. That's mostly my role."

"I see."

"I used to think it wasn't any easier. Hearing about these things afterwards." He laughed softly. "What is the saying? Didn't know how good I had it?"

"Something like that," Elizabeth agreed.

Mohinder smiled faintly. "And now, of course, you feel responsible for the children."

"Yes," Elizabeth said quietly. "Tell me something, Dr Suresh."

"Yes?"

"Peter's friends Noah and Hiro." She was almost sure she wasn't imaging the sudden tenseness in Mohinder's shoulders. "Who are they?"

"Peter's friends."

"Dr Suresh," Elizabeth protested. "Two people we know nothing about now know about this base. I am responsible for the safety of the people here. Please, give me something."

Mohinder nodded slowly. "Hiro can both teleport and stop time. Peter absorbed those powers early; Hiro was one of the first Meta he knew. Noah works for a company skilled and experienced in containing dangerous Meta; Sylar was a guest there once before, and this time he'll never be released."

"They released him?" Elizabeth protested.

"No. He escaped, but it won't happen again."

"How did Hiro get here? He didn't come through with you."

Mohinder considered it. "I knew nothing about it at the time," he said carefully. "Peter told me just after we arrived, but he deliberately refused to let me know beforehand.

"Both Hiro and Peter can stop time. Peter stopped time just before he stepped into the wormhole, and again on this side, to allow Hiro through unobserved. Once he'd been here once he could come back again. Peter never intended to fight Sylar. Only distract him for long enough for Hiro to get him."

"There's no danger Hiro will let him escape?"

Mohinder smiled faintly. "Hiro sees it as a personal mission to stop Sylar. There's no danger."

"I hope not. I'd hate to think the people under my command might be in danger."

"You mean besides the life sucking alien vampires?"

"Yes." She laughed, turning to study the view again. "Besides them."

"Peter won't leave your people in danger. It's not in him. If he tells you you're safe, you are, and if that changes, he'll make sure you know."

"Good." She touched his arm gently. "Thank you."

***

"Can we take them?" Lily murmured.

"There's only two," Theo said just as softly. "And the…queen."

"I'll take the one on the right?"

"No attacking!" Daniel hissed, pasting a smile on his face as the queen glanced at them.

"We can take them," Lily insisted.

"Yes, maybe, but there's a couple hundred more on the ship. You going to take them as well? Just wait. The others'll be here."

"Soon?" Lily asked quietly.

"Yes. No attacking, promise?"

"Promise," Lily agreed reluctantly.

"Why is she letting us talk?" Theo murmured. "We could be plotting our escape for all she knows."

"We're not a threat to her. She doesn't know who you are, she doesn't think we can get off the ship."

"We're not active," Lily reminded him quietly.

"Still stronger and faster than any other humans they've met since the Ancients left. She doesn't know that, and we don't want her to. Can you guys…"

"Meditating it is," Lily said with a sigh. "What do we need her not to know about?"

"Earth, Atlantis, Meta…"

"Everything, then," Theo said.

"Pretty much, yeah."

The teens nodded, closing their eyes and taking simultaneous deep breaths. Daniel watched, mildly amused, as their breathing synchronised.

He stayed amused until the Queen said loudly "Now who should I start with? The little girl?"

"No," Daniel said sharply. Lily's breathing hadn't changed, but she was suddenly tenser. Theo skipped a breath before getting back into the rhythm.

"Are you volunteering?" the queen asked, almost sounding impressed. "It won't save them."

Daniel licked his lips, taking a step away from the kids. "Don't hurt them."

She considered him. "I could be persuaded to spare you. I have few worshippers on this vessel."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen."

The Queen was suddenly there, right beside him. Daniel reared back instinctively, but she was too close, hand fisted in his shirt…

And then alarms were going off, everyone was shouting, and the three were forgotten again.

"Cavalry," he breathed.


End file.
